Grimms Cybertales

11
r l
'A
April Montgomery (order #6643740)
Written by:
Justin Schmid
Editor:
Marc A. Vezina
Copy Editing:
Jean Cameres
Editor for R. Talsorian Games, Inc:
Derek Quintanar
Art Direction:
Pierre Ouellette
Layout:
Pierre Ouellette
Jeff Fortier
Dominique Durocher
Cover Art:
Pierre Ouellette
Jeff Fortier
Interior Art:
Ghislain Barbe
All Artwork 0 Ianus Publications Inc.
GRIMMS CYBERTALES is Copyright 01993 Ianus

Publication. All Right Reserved.
GRIMMS CYBERTALES is a Trademark of Dream Pod
9 and is published under license from R. Talsorian
Games, IhC. Cyberpunk is a Trademark of R. Talsorian
Games, Inc.
No part of this book maybe reproducedwithout written
permission from the publisher, except for review purposes.
Any similarity to characters, situations, institutions,
corporations, etc. (without satiric intent) is strictly
coincidental.
Printed in Canada.
Published by:
Ianus Publications, Inc.
5000 DIberville, Suite 332
Montreal, Qc
Canada
H2H 2M2
Stock # ICP-110
Creative Team: Dream Pod 9
Quotations@ respectiveartists: Enigma01991 Virgin FthschallplatlenGmbh; 0ApocalypseNow/1979 Zoetrope/Warner Brothers; 0The completetalesand poems of EdgarAllan POe.
Legal deposit: December 1993

Bibliothkque Nationale du Quebec
National Library of Canada
ISBN 2-921573-12-1
3
A GRIM. G R I M WORLD
Background .......................................................
NOUVEAU-VOODOO
6
Mergmg Nights Edge Q 2020 ........................... 6

ummary ............................................................ 7
Nights Edge horror ........................................... 8
A NEW ORDER
Stress ...............................................................
Meditation .......................................................
Psybemetics ....................................................
The anti-fanatics ..............................................
Stress factors ...................................................
Quirks of the mind ..........................................
New skills .......................................................
10
12
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
26
27
Nihilists........................................................... 30
Introduction to the society of the dead ............31
The Mandelbrot Society .................................. 32
The SpidersWeb ............................................ 33
Sheperds ......................................................... 34
The Orders of Protectors ................................. 35
The Watch ...................................................... 35
The Diverses Cults .......................................... 38
Faking out indoctrination ................................ 40
Cults in your campaign ................................... 4 1
Deprogramming .............................................. 42
44
Through the eyes of Voodoo ...........................

Place of worship ..............................................
The Loa of old and new ...................................
The rituals of Voodoo ......................................
The mounting of the Loa .................................
45
45
46
48
49
Summoning the Loa ........................................

Voodoo Artifacts..............................................
The making of a zombie ..................................
49
50
51
15
APOSTLES OF THE EDGE

The Church of SIN ..........................................
The dark side of the ExhisbiSIN ......................
The Church of the Immortals ..........................
Followers of Spiritual Purity ............................
Cult bands .......................................................
Definition ........................................................
THE BOOGEYAEN OF 2020

Stalkers ...........................................................
54
Stalking characters ..........................................

Serial murderers ..............................................
55
Mass murderers ...............................................

The Stalker Myth .............................................
In the crowd ....................................................
Ghouls ............................................................
Ghoul enterprise .............................................
Dorph zombies ................................................
Lacer ...............................................................
Terrorism ........................................................
Car Jackings ....................................................
55
56
56
57
58
59
59
60
61
61
GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

Choose your weapon .......................................
The Murk Syndrome .......................................
64
64
Snap Shot ........................................................

The Murk Spirits .............................................
65
67
Virtual Testimony ............................................

The Murk Subroutine ......................................
67
70
The Murk Who Lurk .......................................

Goals of the Powers .........................................
AI sentience.....................................................
70
71
73
Forms of faith ................................................

Infomancy .....................................................
Nature's spirit ................................................
101
Other possibilities ...........................................

AI zombies ......................................................
74
75
Shamanic rites ...............................................

Practitioners ..................................................
Modern magic ...............................................
The power of Voodoo ....................................
Factors to consider ........................................
Corporate mages Q psychics .........................
Cyberpsychics ...............................................
104
105
106
108
109
110
112
PERCHANCE TO DREAM
Fatigue ............................................................
Sleep deprivation.............................................
Sleep disorders ................................................
Wakie. wakie ...................................................
Can't sleep? .....................................................
80
The people dreams are made of .......................
85
Knowledge types ...........................................
114
The accidental murder .....................................

Dream stalker psychosis ..................................
Dream therapy ................................................
An experiment.................................................
Sandmen .........................................................
New power Q abilities .....................................
85
86
86
87
87
88
Frequencies ...................................................
114
Denizens of the night ....................................

Schultz ..........................................................
Stoner............................................................
Rainbow ........................................................
Madame Tourina ...........................................
Shift-X ...........................................................
Moonlocke ....................................................
Jojo ...............................................................
Solous ...........................................................
Martin Smith .................................................
Master Guy ....................................................
114
115
116
117
Index .............................................................
125
81
83
83
84
ARS NOVA
The Unified Theory of Powers .........................
New telepathy powers .....................................
Scepticsalways miss out ..................................
The a m of magic .............................................
Definitions ......................................................
Herbalism ........................................................
Alkemical craft ................................................
Divination arts .................................................
91
92
92
93
93
94
94
94
Esoteric magic .................................................

Ancient magck ...............................................
Faith magic .....................................................
96
98
98
Illusion craft ..................................................
r;
102
103
100
ON THE NIGHT'S EDGE
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
befearedintheshadows,except the
serialkilleror the cultist lookingfor
sacrifices.
The result is a society that is extremelyfrightened. Trnst is a thing
ofthe past forEdgerunnexsin2020.
They grew up being shown in
countless W shows and movies
how Utrustme" is the harbinger of
betrayal, that kindness only makes
you a fool. Cynicism has become a
way of life.
What remains of the old hity tales
has been convoluted. For example,
Jack and the Stalker. Jack climbs
the beanstalk and escapes,but from
that day forward is hunted by the
giant. The moral: don't go where
you don't know. Or Little Red Rider,
a little girl who is kidnapped by
cultists on her way to her grandmother's place while using the subway. The morak don't use the subway without an escort. And last,
perhapssaddest,SnowWhite, agirl
who, while hangingout with a gang,
experiments with drugs that are offered to her in the form of candy. She
fallsinto a coma and awakenswhen
the doctor saves her. The morak be
careful of drugs on the streets.
What has happened for things to
get so bad? Too much reality. Proportionally, there is no more violence and evil today than at any
other time. But, in 2020, the wonders of mass media ensure that we
see every possible example in full
digital glory. It is impossible to
escape the dark side of humanity.
However, perhaps this is not entirely a bad thing.
That Darkness is what this tome
examines. Unlike any before, only
the contemporary evils and darkness are examined as they exist in
our world. Only once have w e identified what is Dark and where the
evil originates can we attempt to
overcome it.
i
BACKGROUND
The Alternate Reality Universe was orlginally introduced by Von Konos in the
Alternate Realitysourcebook Night's Edge. It broughtvampiresintothe Cyberpunk
2020 scene as well as psychic powers and werewolves. Grimm's Cybertales Is an
extension of those orlglnal rules, gathering even more darkness in a universe all
too similar to that of Cyberpunk 2020. The rules presentedherein are completely
compatiblewith Cyberpunk 2020, and Game Masters are free to use and discard
whatever tules they wish.
While the Alternate Reality Universe has vampires, werewolves and psychic
powers, it is unlike most other rde-playlng games in that these creatures and
beings are based on science as much as possible and explainable to a large
degree by misinformationand genetic disorders. Psychic powers, for example, are
notentirdyimprobableconsidetingtheincrediblepersonalachievementsthroughovt
history. The Alternate Reality Universe attempts to mimic our own universe in its
prepondemnceof the unexplainableamidst an otherwise normal and mundane
backdrop (which makes it all the more honific).
While the Cyberpunk 2020 universe deals with those "mundane" aspectsof life on
the Edge, the Alternate Reality Universe dwells in the mysterious and unknown.
Every effort Is made not to compromise the realistic setting however, as the
Darknesswithin the ARU is neverovert in nature. Vampires are extremely rare, and
extremelysecretive, never so foolish as to reveal their presence to humanity. Even
the serial killer maintains a low profile and may not be detected for decades.
The real honorcomes where the normalmeetsthe abnormal. Within an unrealistic
world, this simply would notwork; nor would absolute evil work within the context.
The world of Cyberpunk is composed of shades of gray. Thlngs in the ARU are in
shades of darkness, but shades nevertheless. No one is completely vile, nor Is
anyone thoroughly good. Everyone has their own shades of darkness.
MERGING NIGHT'S EDGE 6 2020

The Alternate Reality Universe fits nicely into that of Cyberpunk 2020. The near
future that we may one day see is merged with the nightmares of tomorrods
dreams. Unlikethat world though, noteverythingis corpomte-related.They are not
the only things that send shivers down your spine in the Alternate RealityUniverse.
There are things peopleunconsciously ignorefortheir own peaceof mind. The dark
side of oneself, which is always present, Is rarely acknowledged, though In the
world of 2020 one faces it on an almost daily basis.
Characters might face mundane tenors, such as the stalker or mass murderer, or
more exotic honors, such as the Murk, or a vampire. Either way, the excitement lies
inthe fear of fadng somethlngabnormaland unknown. Nolongeriscyberpsychosis
the only way to go insane. Sanity becomesa cherished rarity in the dark future of
the Alternate Reality Universe.
Ingeneml, mergingthe two worlds should not be difficultat all. Useyour standard
adventures, butchange one of the antagonistsintoa cultist or a vampire. Keep this
a secret, perhaps with a subtle clue or two here and there. The characters might
complete the adventureneversuspecting, butalreadyyou have made your game
universe a little darker, and in time, the players will realize it too, to their honor...
and enjoyment.
SUMMARY
Grimm's Cybertales Is a look at the myths and horrors of the 21st century. The
spiritualityof the peopleof 2020 is examinedclosely, from their cults to their magic.
The new monstersof the modemworld are fully described, from terroriststo stal kers
to the Murk to dream walkers. Horror is broughtto every corner of the Edgerunner's
existence in 2020.
The second chapter, "A NewOrder", deals with new optional rulesfor the Alternate
Reality Universe, including stress rules, new cyberpsychosisrules, new skills, a short
system for generating phobias for characters and a system for determining
dedication to beliefs. These rules enhance the psychological elements of the
game.
In the third chapter, 'Apostles of the Edge", cults are examined in depth. In times
of incredible depressionand grief, peopleturn to the spiritual for help. Half a dozen
cults are fully descrfbed along with the more general movements and cult types
that are present in the Alternate Reality Universe. The cult's place in the world of
Cyberpunk is firmly established.
ContemporaryVoodoo is examined in "Noweau-Voodoo". The practicesof NeoVoodoo are described in depth. along with the new loa of 2020 and the rituals
surrounding them. As one of the most popular faiths in the 21st century, voodoo
has swept across the Net and the world.
"The Ekwgey-knof 2020 deals with the horrorsof the humanpsycheinthe fourth
chapter. Stalkers, serial killers, mass murderers and terrorists are all dealt with,
bringing the human element back into horror. Who needs a werewolf when a
team of skilled tenorists can paralyze an entire city with fear?
The Net's no longer safe, thank to the Murk, entities which supposedly inhabit the
Net and prey upon runners. However, they also help the runners and entire cults
have been built around their existence. Yet, are they simply a psychological
disorder or real?One may never know.
Sleep and dreams are examined closely in "Perchance To Dream", bringing with
them the terror of Dream Stalker Psychosis, a delusion that the character is being
stalked by a creature that feeds off dreams. Perhaps it is real after all...
To supplement the psychicpower rulesof Night's Edge, Ars Nova presentsoptional
magic rules for Cyberpunk. However, the magical arts presented are based on
belief of their existence. As they say, some things have to be believed to be seen.
Lastly, "On the Night's Edge", which describesjustwhatthe manon the street might
know about the nasty and naughty topics discussed in Night's Edge and Grimm's
Cybertales. Italso providesinformationon the creatures, organizationsand people
described in the two texts. This should prove very yseful for GM's running Alternate
Reality Universe campaigns.
NIGHTS EDGE
HORROR
The Alternate Reality Universe holsor is
not standard fare. The devotion to
realism and technology, standard in
the Cyberpunk genre, creates a horror
setting which is sometimes all too believable. and always disturbing.
The background presented herein enhances the Alternate Reality Universe,
largely focusing on the mundane horrors of our own reality. Murderers, nightmares and cults join the ranks of the
vampires and werewolves to bring
themall together intoa coherentwhole
of near-fume honor.
When playing in the Alternate Reality
Universe, it is important to remember
these two key concepts: Appearance
versus Reality and the Shades of Darkness. Theseelementsfigure prominently
in almost every aspect of this reality,
and serve to bring a unique blend of
honor to cyberpunk universe.
8
APPEARANCE VS REALITY
Very little in the Alternate Reality Universeis as it seems. The vampires hide
behind a mask of legends and fantasy, the drug lords are executives in
multinational corporations. In ARU campaigns, there should always be
doubt in the players mind as to what is real and what is myth.
Keeping the players on their toes will require you to always ensure that
things never seem as they really are. A simplebeggar might be a drug dealer,
while a nomad who just rode into town could be a dream stalker.A vampire
could be posing as an up-and-coming corporate or as a voodoo magician.
One never knows. That vampire could just be someone who thinks he is a
vampire. In peoples mind, reality can often be very different from their
perception of it.
Many of the creatures presented have multiple explanations which allows
the Game Master to generatehis own reality. While vampires might be real,
dream stalkerscould only be a psychosis. There is no sacred law in the ARU
that says if one supernaturalmyth is indeed true, that all others need be
at all true.
SHADES OF DARKNESS
The second element,Shadesof Darkness, refers to the relativegood and evil
in the Cyberpunk genre. Though the Alternate Reality Universe presents
vampires, murderers and cults, these people and organizations are by no
meansblack and white.Thereare good vampiresand there are evilvampires.
There are good cults and bad ones. Everything has its own shades of gray.
N o person or group is purely good, nor purely evil.
This servesto keep the players on the edge. In a game with defined good and
evil, moralitybecomes cheap and cliche. The monster is the bad guy and the
adventurer is the good guy. What if there are no good guys? And no bad
guys? The playersmust then learn to make judgments based on actions and
observations, and not on appearances.
It also serves to enhance role-playing. If the players are unable to determine
thata beingisevil from thestart, they cannot simplykillit andmove on. They
have to learn about it and discoverits true nature. This will rarely be easy and
often there will be no truth to learn. But, the investigation itself will give
the players more informationto act upon and require them to interact much
more.
Admittedly, the Alternate Reality Universe is not for shoot-em-upcampaigns. The NPCs will often best the PCs, and the risk of combat with the
beasts is an almost sure death. It is a universe for learningabout the darkness
within humanity, and for facing that darkness; its destruction being a goal
sought, but rarely achieved. The very struggle is the vindication of the
characters.
STRESS
Inthe harsh world of 2020, stress is
a major problem and many people crack under the strain of everyday life. However, there is also a
desensitization which acts as a
counter-balance to lessen the impact of these increasingly stressful
events. As the media floods us with
images of horror and destruction,
we become more accustomed to
these events. The violent nature of
life in 2020 serves to lessen the
impact of some stressful events.
Nevertheless, the world of
Cyberpunk is still averytaxingplace;
one can never get used to being
shot at.
.This is not to say that people are
any more stable than before or
without emotion. Indeed, the constant strain of combat or living in an
"urban battleground can shake
anyone's sanity. The standard
Cyberpunk character deals with circumstances and eventsbeyondthe
scope of typical contemporary experience, andsdfers o muchhigher
risk of cracking. Therefore only the
most stable of characters will last
for long in the harsh world of
Cyberpunk.
STRESS FACTOR
The Stress Factor is a measure of the amount of stress a character is currently
under. Stressfulevents will increase the character's StressFactor, sometimes
gradually, other times very quickly. This measures how well a character will
react to those circumstances Cyberpunk characters find themselves in.
As the amount of pressure the character is under increases, the Stress Factor
rises; when it gets too high, the character cracks. The worst case scenario is
aperson who cracks and goes over the edge. A character's COOL determines
the amount of StressPoints the character can take before reachingnew Stress
Levels, as shown on the Stress Table. When a character exceeds the Stress
Points for a level, they reach the next level and are subject to its full effects.
EXAMPLE:
AcharacterwithaCOOLoj6and4StressPoints (StP), wouldbe Normal, but three
more StPwould make him Anxious, and he would now get a -1penalty onallhrther
COOL checks.
Note that these are not pemuznent modifiers, and change as the character's current
Stress b e l changes. Characters with a low COOL will not deal with stress well.
Round down when dividing. These penalties will not take a stat below 2.
STRESS LEVELS
These are the effects of the different Stress Levels.
FRESH:
The character is stress-free and perfectly calm. An unnahtral state because it is 50 rare. It gives
a +I bow to COOL checks due to the extremely calm state of mind.
NORMAL:
Thecharacter has normal stressesand concerns, which is most commonfor Cyberpunkersto have.
As we must all deal with stress in our lives, this is considered the normal mental state.
ANXIOUS:
The character is a little more stressed out than usual, making COOL checks with -1 penal9 due
to already being a little more mentally "fried" than usual. The character will tend to be a little
overcautiousand be either very tired (1 -5 on dl 0) or very hyper, (6-1 0 on d l 0). The character
develops Insomnia. Note thatfor most Cyberpunkers, this is actually the normal state of being.
S'IRESSED:
The character is quite stressedby extremecircumstancesand will sujer a -2 penalty on all COOL
checks. The character will be jumpy and have a poor short-term memory, generally with only
enough concentrationfor one task. A -I penalty is given to all IhT tasks, addictionchecks will be
at -2 to resist and the character develops Insomnia (-2 penalty to Insomnia checks).
*TENSE:
I f the character gets worse, he begins to crack under the pressure. He suffers a -3 penalty to all
COOL checks and will begin to act in a bizarre manner,focusing on one task and performing it
at the exclusion of all else, including loved ones. Characters under torture will begin revealing
information ifpromised release. A -2 penalty isgiven to all I N T tasks, addiction checks will be at
-4 to resist and the character develops Insomnia (-2 penalty to Insomnia checks).
CRACKED:
The character has been pushed past normal limits and has gone over the edge. He sujers a -5
penalty to COOL checks. A -3 penalty is given to all INT tasks, addiction checks will be at -6 to
resist and thecharacter develops Insomnia (-2 penalty to Insomnia checks). The character must
also roll Id1Oon theOver TheEdgetable to determinewhat his reaction is to this incrediblestrain
The dificulty levels of curing them through therapy are listed after the descriptions.
1
OVER THE EDGE TABLE
1
HOMICIDAL:
Thecharacter becomes murderousandwillseek to kill theperceivedmrceojthestress@erhaps
blamingsomeoneunrdated). Hewilldso bevioltnttavardanyoncwhostandsinhisway.Ajter
the source of the stress has been eliminated, roll Id10 again on this table, ignoringrolls of 1for
the character's next reaction. However, if the character ever goes Over The Edge again, he will
automatically become Homicidal. Diff: 20
2
CATATONIA:
Characters with catatonia withdraw completely into thcmsdves. No outside stimuli, including
being injured, will awaken them Thecharacters arestill alive, but will not move, speak or react.
Thereisa 1 in IOchanceevnyweekthatthqwillcomeoutojit. s an extreme attempt is made

0.e. conlinuacs contact with the characters), the check may be made cyny two days, but only as
long as those measures are maintained. Diff:30
SUICIDAL ENDENCIES:
Characters with suicidal tendencies will seek to end their liva in MV mssible way. as soon as
possible. Everyactivitywillbecenteredonsuicide. Thcywillbeprat~ooakingextre;;leriskswith

their lives. Difi 20
4-5
SCHIZOPHRENIA:
The characterloses all touch with reality. The character's torturers baome trees, or he may believe
himself to befree, and carry on as he might at home. The charactermight think he's a bird, or that
his roomis the throne roomofthe king ofspain Reality i s m longer the character's reality. Difi 25
6-7
SEVERE AGORAPHODIA:
The characterfears everything. Home is theonly safeplace. Strangers are all murderers; outside
there is only pain and torture. The character will require a COOL check at -4 to evengo outside
his home,even then not gang twfar (like Waxfire in the Necrology trilogy). Diff: 30
HALLUCINATIONS:
The character begins to see, hear, andfeel things that aren't there. However, in every other way,
~inv~ved,
thqrwillappearnormal. ~ p a ~ i ~ ~ a r h a l l u c i n a t i ~ w i l l d ~ ~ o n t h e s t randnote
that hallucinations are usually metaphors. For example, a character who was hunted and shot
might see snipers on rooftops and, when stressed, all ofa sudden think he has been shot. This will
continueuntil cured. Dfl:
20
OVERLOAD AMNESIA:
CharacterswithOverloadAmnesia haveforgotten everythingabout theirpreviouslifeas a m t e r measureagainst the risingstress. The character's Stress Points returnto normal, but 2 out of every
1OskiUswillbeforgottenandthecharacterwillnotbeabletorememberanythingabacttheprevious
life. Ifsomeoneforcesthem to remember,they regain aU thestress Pants togo Over %Edge again
and roll Id10 on this table again. lf cured by a therapist. then this doa not happen. Difi 25
10
MULTIPLEPERSONALITIES:
The character separates into multiple pmonalities. Generate Id6 diflerent mental stats and
psychologicdproFles,excluding themainone. Somewillbemurderen, 0 t h timid and shy. Use
your imagination. They switch whenever a new stress is introduced. Difl40.
:
!
LOSING STRESS POINTS

Stresspoints disappear ldlO hours after the source of the stressis removed
or after a night's sleep (min. 8 hours). If the source of the stress is ongoing,
the only way to eliminate it is through therapy.
THERAPY
The knowledge ofpsychology is used when conducting therapy. The DiJiculty is 20for
normal Stress Points. However, if the character has gone Over The Edge, then the
diJ@lty listed after the applicableinsanity must be made. In this case, the character's
Stress Level must return to Fresh before therapyfor the insanity can begin.
Every attemptfor therapy requiresone hour, which i s the maximum amaunt oftherqry
in a 3 day period, and it cures 1d6/2 points (rand up). This can cost up to 1OOOeb or
as low as 1OOebfrom trained professionals, orfrom a character with Psychology skill.
However one cannot treat himself.
MEDITATION
Meditation is one way for charactersto help themselves. At a Difficultyof 20, the
charactercan remove 1ongoing StressPoint after one hour of meditation.This
can only be done once per 24 hours. It is one way to stay sane,so many modem
combat veterans leam meditation to deal with their stressfullives.
12
GAINING STRESS POINTS

There are two types of Stress Points: Straight and Fright. Straight Stress
Points are taken immediatelyand automatically. Generally these are due to
living conditions, life events,situational stresses, etc. They are randomized
to reflect different peoples reactions to different situations. Fright Stress
Points are due to some temporary,disturbing event. Charactersmake Fright
Checks to determine the amount, if any, StP are gained.
STRAIGHT STRESS POINTS

There are many forms of Straight Stress Points. They are the daily hassles of
life and events which can strain ones sanity. Here are some examples of
Straight Stress circumstancesand events with their Stress Point amounts.
Note that these are merely guidelines and should be modified as desired to
suit the situation. For example, a characterwho did not care much for their
lover might only have half the Stress Points from the Events, whereas an
executive whose life was the corporation might suffer double from being
hunted by it.
Whenever Straight Stress applies, roll for the exact amount and add those
points to the charactersStP. Whenit is lost, subtract it. The GM should feel
free to determine Straight Stress Points for other events using the following
guidelines:
EXAMPLE:
An ex-lover who is trackinga character down would be Annoying, unless they were
armedand had madeprevious attempts on the characterslife, in which case it would
be UnsettIing.
FRIGHT STRESS POINTS

Fright Stress points are due almost exclusively to particular unsettling
circumstancesthat the characterencounters.Beingambushed or fired upon,
killing a person, being tortured, etc. These all require a COOL check to be
made against the Fright Difficulty.
Characters used to combat (Solos, Nomads G;r Cops) get a +5 bonus on the
combat-related checks. Similarly, those with related fields of interest get a
+1 to +10 bonus in relation to their field (a witch-doctor conducting a
magical ceremony might get a +10 bonus to Participatingin an Unnatural
Event or a Disaster Relief worker might get a +10 in reaction to a disaster
hitting). Also, characters in a group of 3-19 people get a +1bonus on all
checks. If they are in a group of 20-100 people, a +2 bonus is given on all
checks. Groups of over 100people give a +4 bonus to all checks. One feels
safer in a group.
Here are some sample Fright Difficulties:
If the checks total equals or exceeds the Difficulty, the character can deal
with the event. Otherwise, the characteris frightened.Find the amount the
check was failed by on the Fright table below to determine the effects.
FRIGHT TABLE
AMOUNT
EFFEa
1 -2
STUNNED:
The character is surprised and loses 5 pants of initiativefor that turn. The character tahes
Id6-3 Stress Points (min. 0).
3-5
SURPRISED:
The character is surprisedfor 1 turn. The character takes ld6 Stress Points.
6-12
SHOCKED:
The character is surprised, and either (I
-3) Freezesfor 2 turns, duringwhich no actioncan
be taken OY (4-6) Flees, trying to run away as quickly aspossiblefrom the source of thefright
for Id6+1 Turns. The character takes 2d6 Stress Points.
OMRWHELMED:
13-18
The characteris surprised, andeither (1-4) Freezesfor ld6+3 turns, duringwhichnoaction

can be taken and the character drops to theground, sobbinguruontrollably.or 6-61Flea.
trying to run away as quickly as possiblefrorn the source of thefightfor 1d6+3 turns. The
character takes 3d6 Stress Points.
BLOWN AWAY:
19+
Thc charactergoes Over The Edge due to the extremestress. Roll on the Over The Edge tabre
with ld10. The insanity lastsfor 2d10 Turns, then the character isfine again. However, he
gains 4d6 Stress Points.
Any Stress Points gained are applied immediately. rf the character crack, he gains that
insanity. However, Stress Points due to Fright Stress disappear 2d6 hours after the source
of thefright is gone.
E5ukkillg
a b st
I
L
14
with a COOL of 7 sees a vampirefeeding upon a person. This counts as seeing

someone, Difl20. The player rolls a 5;since the character gets no bonuses, the
check isfailed by 8, and the character is surprisedfor 2 turns. He rolls 2d6
7StressPointsinstantly. Havingalreadyhad8, heisnowat15Stress
PSYBERNETICS
These are additional rules which
combine with the Humanity Loss
system presented in Cyberpunk
2020. Characters take Humanity
Loss in the same manner and it
reduces Empathy as well, but the
effectsof it are more detailed. There
are four types: Alienation, Egotism,
Obsession and Paranoia. Note that
humanity loss can also occur from
excessive drug use as detailed in
the Dark Metropolis sourcebook.
STARTING CHARACTERS
Startingcharacterstake their EMP and find it on the StartingBase Loss table.
Then, divide the Base Loss points among the four types of Humanity Loss
on the character sheet: Alienation, Egotism, Obsession and Paranoia. Thus
characters with low Empathy will start out somewhat insane. However do
not count this Base Loss as Humanity Cost against the characters EMP.
~~
EXAMPLE:
Roberts, a Solo starts out with an EMP of5, so has a Base Loss of25. He decides to
put 15 into Egotism and 10 into Alienation, d i n g him already Boastful and
Distinct.
CYBERNETICS HUMANITY LOSS

Different kinds of cybernetics cause different types of humanity loss. In
addition, people react to cyberneticsin differentways, so there may be more
than one possible form of Humanity Loss in reactionto the samecybernetics.
In these cases, roll randomly or allow the player to choose based on the
characters personality. The type listed in bold and italic is the most
commonly associated type of humanity loss with that form of cybernetic.
After the type has been determined, the amount of Humanity Loss is
determined as listed. Apply Humanity Loss as usual to the charactersEMP
when 10 points are taken, and keep a total of Humanity Loss, but also add
them to the appropriate type on the character sheet.
Playersshould mark the letter code of the Humanity Loss type next to their
cyberneticsto remember what causedwhat in case therapy issought at alater
point in time. One type of Humanity Loss can be cured at a time, provided
all cybernetics related to that type are removed.
EXAMPLE:
Robertsgetsa set of Wolvers implanted, rolling 12points ofHumanity Cost. He chooses
it all to be in theform of Egotism This lowers his Empathy by 1,and raises his Egotism
from 15to 27, making him Inconsiderate. He is not a nice guy to be around
THERAPY
Through therapy, one can regain Humanity Loss points. However, the
cyberneticscausingthe loss or the drugsinvolvedmust be removed from the
charactersbody. Once this has been achieved, therapy can begin.
Every two weeks of therapy, ldlO points of Humanity Loss can be regained.
The cost for such therapy is $1000 every two weeks. Street level clinics are
free,but only ld6 points are regained per two weeks. Thus, therapy is very
expensive and might take nearly a year for someone far gone. Also if the
characters get the Cybernetics back (or start back on the drug) it could
destroy all past effortsat rehabilitation.ForcharacterswithPsychologyskill,
they can gwe the same therapy with a Difficulty of 20 to be made at the end
of each week. A Critical Failure means a further loss of ld6 Humanity Loss.
15
CYDERPSYCHOSIS
When a character reaches an EMP of 0, they go psychoticaslistedundertheir
type. The character can go psychotic in more than one way, combining them
in an horrific manner.
TYPES OF HUMANITY LOSS

There are four types of Humanity Loss. The characters current amount of
points in any one type describes what level they are at in that type. Be sure
that players role-play this in their characters.
ALIENAT10 N
DESCRIPTION
AMOUNT
01 -10
NO EFFECT.
The character is a little distant, but no more than is common in the Cyberpunk world.
11-20
ABSENT-MINDED:
The characters memory becomes easily blurred as he becomesfocused on his own reality.
A -2 penalty is applied to any action other than the characters current mainfocus, and a 2 penalty to memory checks.
21 -30
ECCEMRIC:
Thecharacterdcvelopshisown quirk thatseparates himfromnonnal people. Examplesinclude:
Collectingthings, talking to oneself,etc. The player m q chooseit at the GMs discretion. It must
be noticeablein some w q , and should be related to the cybernetic.
31-40
DELUSIONS:
Thecharactergains adelusionabout the world Thedelurionbecomesafirmy-hadfalsebelief.
For example, his cyberaudw can pick up peoples thoughts or that he is actualfy a robot, made
to think its human. Again, the player may generate the delusion at the GMs discretion.
41-50
HAUUCINATIONS:
The character begins to see things. The hallucinations occur during stressful times. rf the
character takes more than 4 StP at one time, he hallucinatesfor Id6 Turns. Thehallucinations are at the GMsdiscretionbut are generally linked to somethingin the characters past.
For example a war veteran might see enemy soldiers in a crowd aiming to fire at him,
prompting him to returnfire.
51+
SCHIZOPHRENIC:
Thisis thefinalstageinwhichthecharcuterenters hisownreality quiteapartfromourown. The
hallucinationsand delusions all intensifj,and are expandedso much chat theobjective reality of
the world bears little resemblance to the characters. At this stage, the character becomes
extremelyd#uult torun, as theinsanitywillrestricta~coherentactivity.Thecharactermust
make an INT check at -2 to do anythingconstructive. this check isfailed, the character does
somethingnon-constructive. Ifit isfailed by 4 or more, the act is destructive.
If
EGOTISM
AMOUNT
DESCRIPTION
NO EFFECT.
The character is a little arrogant, but no more than is common in the Cyberpunk world.
01-10
11-20
STUBBORN:
The character becomes more self-involved and will be more stubborn than usual. The
character will begin to think that he is smarter and stronger than the others, thus his ideas
are better. This will show mostly through role-playing.
16
213 0
CONCEITED:
The characters stubbornness takes a new turn wherein the character begins thinking and
acting as if he is infact better than the others. The character becomes vain. This may result
in the character taking skills to boost his appearance or making sure that his efforts are
rewarded
31 -40
EGOCENTRlC:
The character views things only as they relate to himself. Thedesires and needs ofothers are
neglectedover the characters own desires. This will defniteZy shuw through the characters
interaction with others: he believes himself to be better than others.
41 -50
NARCISSISTIC:
The character becomes obsessed with his own appearance, comfort, and develops an
exaggeratedself-image. The character will be hard-pressed to do anythingfor other people.
51 +
MEGALOMANIA:
The character has delusions ofgrandeur: he is the best soldier that ever lived, he is the best
netrunner around. etc. As such, everyoneelseis inferior and can be neglected. The character
also sees himselfas immortal. This means that the character will ignore risks, seeinghimself
as impervious to mortal danger. This will often get the person killed.
OBSESS1ON
AMOUNT
01-1 0
DESCRIPTION:
NO EFFECT.
The character likes to play with the cybernetic, but without inteqering his normal life.
11-20
DISTRACTED:
The character likes to pIay with the cybernetics or drugs, using them wheneverfree time
presents itself. This is to thepoint ofbeing adistraction. Unless the character is concentrating,
a -1 penalty on all checks is given due to the distraction.
21 -30
COMPULSIVE:
The character compulsively plays with the cybernetics or drugs, using them whenever
possible. This acts as a serious distraction, with a -2 penalty on all checks due to the
distraction, unless the character is concentrating hard.
3 1 -40
ADDICT:
The character has to play with the cybernetics or drugs, using them as much of the time as
possible. This acts as a serious distraction, with a -2 penalty on all checks due to the
distraction unless the character is concentrating hard. Thecharacters COOL drops by 1for
every 6 hours not allowed to play with the cybernetic or using drugs, to a minimum 012.
0BSBSIM:
The character &play with the cyberneticsor drugs, using them all ofthe time. This acts
as a serious distraction with a -4 penalty on all checks unless the character is concentrating
hard. The characters COOL drops by 1for every 3 hours not allowed to play with the
cyberneticor using drugs, to a minimum of2.
41 -50
51 +
MONOMANIA:
The character u p l a y with the cybernetics or drugs all of the time. This acts as a serious
distraction, with a -4penalty on all checks. The characters COOLdrops by 1for every hour
not allowed to play with the cyberneticor using drugs. to a minimum of2. The character is
essentially a vegetable, addicted to playing with the cybernetic or taking the drug.
PARANOIA
AMOUNT
DESCRIPTION
01-10
NO EFFECT'.
The character is a little nervous, but no more than is common in the Cyberpunk world.
NERVOUS:
The characterisa little more nervous than the averageperson, seeingthings that mostpeople
wouldn't: shapes in the darkness, stalkers, e&. The character has an automatic -2 penalty
on all Fright checks.
11-20
21 -30
HYPOCHONDRIAC:
In addition to being Nervous, the character is always afraid that he is getting sick. The GM
shouldalert the playerwhen the characterfeels thesymptoms ofvarious diseases (which the
character ofcourse does not have). The most common disease Netrunnersfear they have is
Murk Psychosis, whuh perhaps they do eventually get, one way or another.
31-40
PHOBIC:
In addition to being Nervous and Hypochondriac. the character develops a Severephobia.
This can be chosen or rolledfor by the player or simplychosen by the GM (see Quirksofthe
M~nd.)It should have some relation to the cybernetics or drugs involved.
PARANOID:
41 -50
In addition to being an Hypochondriac and having a Photna, the character is paranoid The
character thinks that people are out to get him, that he is the target of some conspiracy. This
results in a -4 penal& on all Fright checks and the character's effective COOLdecreasesby 1.
51+
HOMICIDAL MANIA:
The character becomes homicidal. Fearing that people are secretlyplotting against him, he
takes things into his own hands and begins to hunt them down. Who "they" are will vary
depending upon the circumstances. The GM should create Zogical(?) scenarios in which the
character is convinced that a person is plotting to kill him, and encourage the character to
"actfirst". This is the mediatic image of the cyberpsycho, not at all consumedwith rage but
more withfear. A scared psycho is not apleasant one to confront. Note that reasoningdoes
not work with this kind ofpsychotic.
QUIRKS
DEDICATION
OF THE MIND
Thisis a new stat measuring the character's dedication to a particular ideology

or belief system. It is rated just like a normal stat,except that it can be between
The human mind often deals with

trauma by developingintensefears.
It is a defense mechanism of sorts
which protects us from things that
traumatized us. Phobias are those
fears, sometimes mild dislikes,
sometimes crippling fears.
1and 10, and the player can select the levels and belief system his character is
dedicated to. Optionally, players can be forced to roll ldlO and develop a
Dedication or several for the charaaer. Thiscan add to the personality of the
character.
There can also be more than one Dedicationin the character's life, of varying
degrees, with all of them recorded on the character sheet. However, each
Dedication must be of a differentlevel from one another (i.e. no ties) and
from the particular belief system a Dedication (DED) score is related to.
When making specificDedicationchecks, the specified Dedication must be
used.
When a phobia is required due to

a fright check or for some other
reason, make an appropriate selection from the following list. Roll
1d6 for the degree of .the phobia
unless otherwisedetermined. On a
1-3, it is Mild; on a 4-5 it is Severe,
on a 6 it is Crippling. The character
must make a Fright check when
dealingwith the subject of the phobia. The Difficulty is 10 for Mild
phobias, 15 for Severe ones and
20 for Crippling phobias.
Four one-hour sessions of therapy
at a cost of 100-1OOOeb each can
cure a character of a Mild phobia.
Multiply by both time and cost by 2
for Severe phobias, and by 4 for
Crippling phobias. As an altemative, if one of the characters has
Psychology, you can roll four Average (15) Psychology checks for
Mild Phobias, 8 Difficult (20) Psychology checks for Severe ones
and 16 Very Difficult (25) Psychology checks for Crippling ones. The
time required is 1 hour for each
check, and at least four days must
seperate each therapy session.
Characters con try to cure themselves, but this adds 10 to the
Difficulty.
DEDICATION LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS

DED
DESCRIPTION
1-2
DELIRIER:
The characterbelieves in the ideology,andwillfollow its system. However he will rarefy
go out of his way to d e f d it or put too much effort into it.
MODERATE:
ThecharacterbelievesintheideobgyandwilldeJmdit,but heisamoderate,able toseeother
points of view and notfmentfy obsessedwith the dogma of this particular ideology.
3-4
5-6
ADHERENT:
The character believes in the ideo@ and lives by it. He will d
e
e
fn
dit, but is still able
to accept other ideologies.
7-8
DISCIPLE:
The characterfollows the ideology, living by it and teaching it to others. The character
is a true believer, but will not risk his lqefor it.
9
EXl'REMIST:
The characterfollows and believes the ideology in the extreme, seeing it as the only
possible truth. Extremist characters may risk their livesfor it.
10
Thecharacterujknaticalinhisbelie..ojtheideobgy,heisinjutoneofthestrongestbelievers.
Noother~deologyisrightinthischaracter'smindandany~withdi_fferentbeliefsisoubight
wrong. Fanatical charactm will risk their livesfor their belids and kill for them as well
(accept thosewithpeaceJhlorpacijsticideofogmJNothingis tooextremeforjmatics. These
of their groups. (which is a scary thought!)
people cypualiy become le&
Dedications can be to religions, cults, philosophies, organizations, countries and even
corporations.Note that a charactercan only have one DED that is 9 or higher. Also, a
character could be dedicated to an ideal, such as peace, resulting in a true pacifist.
NEWI'SKILLS
The skills that list (EMPRSY) as their base stat actuallyuse the higher of the
two. If the Psyche stat is not being used in your game, use LUCK instead.
When one of these skills is being used for general knowledge of the skill's
use and capabilities, use INT instead.
ASTROLOGY (INTI:
The knowledge of astrology and how to generate an astrologicalchart.
AURA READING (EMPPSY):
The knowledge of the interpretation of aura and skill in seeing them.
EXPERT: BLESSING (EMPPSY):
The character knows a specific blessing. The name of the blessing should be recorded
EXPERT: CURSE (EMPPSY):
The character knows a specijc curse. The name of the curse should be recorded.
EXPERT: RITUAL (EMPPSY):
The character knows a specific ritual. The name of the ritual, its dijiculty, ejects, any
sacrifices required, the power item and location, and the length of time requiredfor the
ceremony must be recorded
EXPERT: SPELL (EMPPSY):
The character knows a specijic spell. The spell's name, effects, requirements and
limitations should be noted.
GRAPHOLOGY (INT):
The skill ofhand-writing analysis. Information can begained aboutpeople through their
writing.
HERBALISM (INT):
The skill of manufacturing drugs and concoctions from herbs and other natural
ingredients.
MAGIC (INT):
The skill of illusion, of prestidigitation. The character is able to pegom magic tricks,
such as sawing people in hay, making them disappear, etc.
PALMISTRY (EMPPSY):
The art ofreading the lines ofthe hand togain information about an individual and their
future.
PSYCHOLOGY (INTI:
The knowledge of the human mind and its workings. A character with Psychology skill
can attempt therapy.
RUNE LORE (INT):
Knowledge of the runes and the rituals surrounding runic magic. It should be specijed
whether they are Celtic, Egyptian or any otherform of runes.
SLEIGHT O F HAND (REF):
The skill of making small objects appear and disappear.
TAROT LORE (EMPPSY):
The character knows the meanings of the tarot cards and can conduct a reading.
THEOLOGY (INTI:
The knowledge of the religions of the world and their beliefs. The character would
generally specialize in their own particular religion.
VOODOO DIVINATION (EMPPSY):

The character knows how to conduct a voodoo style divination rite.
20
IMAGE:
The Church of SIN is a curious cult in

which sins are promoted. SIN
standsforthe Seven Indulgencesof
Nature. The Seven Indulgencesare:
Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath,
Gluttony, Sloth and Lechery. Believers argue that these are natural
states of the human psyche and, as
such, should be exhalted.
The SlNers are knownfor their lavish orgies and elaborate ceremonies. They also
hold the ExhibiSlN, which is a huge parade of sinwhich crosses the city (a great
time to be had for all). There have been many incidents involving members of this
cult. Whik most SlNers are good people who just want to have fun, some seek to
commit terrible atrocities.
HISTORY:
The SINers started out as devoutly religious members ofthe mjorfaiths, but at the
turn ofthe Millennia, when the world was expected to undergoJudgment, they were
disappointed They had been seekingludgmentto show that they had been righteous,
that they had h e n good and had avoided sin. They felt cheated, robbed of lifes joys
by a cruel lie and so they set out to enjoy life since there would be no retribution.
Many of the people who were disappointed became very jadcd andfigured that if
there was noultimateJudgment, they could do as they please. This is not to say that
the followers abandoned their belief in Cod or their religion, but more that they
thought Godhadabandoned themandwere trying toshow theirdispleasurebybeing
as bad as possible.
Needless to say, the organized religions are not pleased about this group. There are
constant protests against this cult and it has been the focus of many slander
campaigns by self-righteous citizens. Nevertheless, the SINers became an instant
hit, especially in the decadent world of the 21st century.
The SlNers try to have all of the seven deadly sins, which they have renamed the
Seven lndulgencesofNature, which they believe are their birthright and which they
intend to enjoy completely. Thus they arefilled with pride in theirfaith, covet one
anothers possessions, envy those with more, show their wrath at those who anger
them, have hugefeasts and orgies and are generally quite l a y . Some take these
lndulgencesa bit toofar, such as the mass murderers who claimed to be members.
Most famous of the SINers activities is the great ExhibiSlN during which all the
members travel from their church through the city and back again. They wear
skimpy costumes and elaborate musks that usually conceal theirfaces completely.
Along the way, loud andfast-paced music beats as the SlNers dance and sing. They
travel on huge decoratedflatbeds since they would not deign to walk the whole
distance. While some cities have banned the ExhibiSlN, others use it as a tourist
att ration.
The motive behind the ExhibiSlN, as one can plainly guess, is to flaunt their
sinfilness. To show that they can enjoy themselves to thefillest.
BELIEFS:
The Church ofSlNpreaches debaucheryand self-gratification. They believe in being
as sinfil as possible to show their ire to Codfor having abandoned them. They do
see their actions as evil butfeeljustified as they tried being good but got no reward
They are now being evil under the assumption that they will not be punished
The cult is transparent in ways other than their belief in being sin@: many of the
services of the cult involve warped readings from spiritual texts, altering the
messages to support their sinful ways. They cling to their old beliefs, simply reversing
the moral values.
e
22
Oddly enough, most cult members are hopingfor retribution: in a sense, they are hoping to be struck down. They go to extremes
forjust this purpose, hoping that God will take notice they act bad enough. However, this is a subconscim desire which few
members are aware of.
J
if
ORGANIZATION:
The Church ofSN has self-proclaimed leaders, but, truthhlly, whoeverfeels like ruling and whoever is allowed to rule does so.
It is one ofthe most anarchistic cults after the Nihilists,from whom there are many cross-members.
STATUS:
The Church ofSINis apopularcult in2020, and they aregrowingin numbers, every EjchibiSIN bringingin more members. There
are now tens of thousands of members worldwide, though many are only partial members because they are too l a q to be More
active in the cult.
The police are investigating reports that there has been brainwashing involved in the cult, but these rumors seem to have been
started by other cults and religions, who cannot believe that anyone would be a member without being somehow coerced.
RELATIONS:
TneSINersareloosely alliedwith the Cybernetics Templeandthe Pagans, andonfriendly tennswith the ChurchoftheImmortals.
They are closely allied with the Nihilists and TempleofHoly Hallucinations. The FollowersofSpiritua1Purity and most organ2ed
religions are strong adversaries of thegroup, most of the time publicly denouncingthem. There have been some attempts to even
shut them downforcibly, such as the bombing ofa SINer church in 2018 that killed 24 and wounded 140.
MEMBER TYPES:
Rockers are by far the most common members of the Church. However, they also have a good number of Medias, Fixers and
Nomads. Corporates and Techies are only rarelyfound in the cult. Netrunners oddly enjoy this gathering of passionate people.
Solos generally do not like the unstructured nature ofthe Church, nor do Cops or Medtechies.
23
The Church of the Immortals is a

secretivecult. They centertheir doctrine arounddeath and thosethings
related to it. The best information
comes from its more popular era,
almost a decade past. They are
usually referedto by non-members
as the Church of the Undead.
IMAGE:
The Church of the Immortals appeared out of nowhere around the year 2012. It
grew in popularity quickly because it sought not only to destroy anyfear of death,
but also promised immortality to its members. In 2015,it was revealed that this was
all a scam and they went underground, with only the truly devout staying with the
cult. They all live in a huge pyramid-shaped templecalled The Crypt, in which
they reportedly perform all sorts of dark and twisted rituals.
They are known on the street as the ZombieMasters,relating to the rumors that
they routinely animate dead bodies. Few people will talk about them: there are
stories ofpeople who asked too many questions or talked too muchgetting killed, and
turning up as zombie. There are some rumors of Voodoo being practiced by cult
members, supporting claims that it is a Voodoo-ojshoot.
HISTORY:
The Church of the Undead was actually formed in the year 2002 by a group of
researchers intent on discovering the secret to eternal life. They believed that they
found it in 2010, but needed morefinding. They didnt trust the government and
couldfind no otherfinancial backers, so decided toform a Church. The idea was an
immediate success, two members of the group having majored in Theology.
The ideology woukl be based around science and the enjoyment life. They decided
that since they would be creating a newfaith, they might as well make it as good as
possible. Building the beliefs around the central idea that death can be overcome, and
that science was the key, they appealed to the technocentric attitude of the time.
The cult quickly gained popularity. though other religious groups strongly scorned
themfor making promises they could not keep. Not that this was unheard of in the
business offaith. Thegroup appears to have eventually made the breakthrough they
needed to make humans immortal in some manner, or at least bring them back to
lqe. They began to use this elixir immediately, charging members a million
eurobucksfor it. The beauty was that one could pay it over eternity since they would
have all of time to pay, simply pay all that they had upfront.
?he church became a bonanzafor the researchers. Not only were they making
incredible sums of money, but they had hundreds of subjects. Their ethics were
questionable and soon the medical establishment was demanding the secret ofthis
elixir. The Church refisedjlatly. A couple ofyears later, a team managed to break
in and obtain a copy of theformula. It was determined to be afake serum It had no
special properties besides creating a feeling of euphoria.
Nevertheless, the Church, undaunted by reports that their miraculous discoverywas
afraud, maintained their claims. The tens of thousands who hadfZocked to them
quickly disappeared, ashamed oftheirfoolishness. Thegovernment investigated the
Church, but were countered with legal technicalities which prevented any legal
actionfrom being taken against the Church.
This was the time of Reorganization. A new leader, going by the name The Raven,
took the reigns of power a t the bequest of the original members. He quickly closed
down all the temples they had set up, dismissed any member whose loyalty was
questionable and began work on The Crypt.
With the money they had obtained, they managed to build it within afew years. In
the shape of a majestic pyramid, The Crypt is now the center of Church activities.
24
Inside lies agreat arcology housing afew hundred individualsand with all the necessaryfacilities to be self-suff icient. Somebelieve
them to be preparingfor the Apocalypse, but infact they justprefer to work in privacy.
Under Ravens reign, research continues into death and related subjects. It is still a cult, though centered around science and
research. Currently the Church is a powefil if secretive organkation.
BELIEFS:
The Church of the Immortals beliefs are difficult to document because they preach more of a way of lye than any particular
doctrine. Overall, they see thefear ofdeath asfitile, since we must allface death eventually, but they also see cause in gaining
as much information on it as possible.
They pronounce that life is to be enjoyed to thefullest, and that every person must realize hisfull potential by achievingwhatever
ends he seeks. However, the means of attaining that end demonstrate an obvious lack of morals or ethics within this group.
Murder is denounced, though they also seem to use its threat commonly, therefore one could question whether this is truly apart
of their belief system or not. Suicide is also denounced even more strongly than murder, for reasons unknown.
Thefear and wonder surrounding death has been with humanity sincefirst having an awareness ofmortality, and as such is an
important spiritual issue with the Church of the Undead. They appear to see Death as their supreme deity, always paying it
homage. There are altars to every death god known to humanity within The Crypt and the Church believes that almost every
faith has some sort death god or goddess.
ORGANIZATION:
Within the Church, The Raven is the ruler supreme and his word is obeyed without question. There is afanatical belief in him
and in the Church. Members are sworn to secrecy, with rumors telling of punishment by death should they talk (truth is, they
are buried alivefor a certain amount of time).
STATUS:
Currently, there are only a couple thousand members. It is not a very popular cult, though it is powefil. Members who join
frequently disappearfor years at a time into the darkness ofthe Crypt. This cult may be small, but it deals with something of
interest to almost every human being.
25
~~
The Followers of Spiritual Purity are

better known for the tyranny and
the terror they have inflicted upon
the people of the 21st century.
They are certainly the most horrific
cult of fanatics in recent times.
IMAGE:
The street namefor the Followers is the Inquisition, which perfectly describes what
theyrelike. They believe that cyberneticsand technologyingeneral is evil andsinful,
and are knownfor harassing and assaulting those who are afflictedwitha love of
cybernetics. The terror they caused was so intense that cults andgangs that normally
were at odds joined together to rout the Purists.
The Purists are known by their hooded, black robes. In recent times, they have
stopped wearing the traditional garb for fear of attacks, instead wearing black
headbands.
HISTORY:
The Followers of Spiritual Puritys cult was based around the idea that technology
was destroying lives and advancing too quickly. This ideology started a couple
decades back and a group of believers in this ideology took sanctuary outside of
human society, in rural regions. They used only the most primitive equipment,
mimicking the Quakers and other such groups.
They preached a doctrine that technology was a sin because it hudgone toofar. Their
groups name was the ScientificModerates, and so they were. However, theyounger
generation, eager toprove theirfaith, saw all technology as evil and a blemish upon
the world. An extreme movement among these youth emerged.
Soon they moved to the city and, disgusted a t the extent of technology present,
decided it was up to them to convert the musses. Thefirst evil which was the most
repugnant, was cybernetics, theirfirst target.
Thisgroup, taking the name The Followers of Spiritual Purity, began preaching
in the streets, infiltrating other churches and gaining support for their ideology
among the populace. The elders of the original group were pleased with the zealous
nature of the children, but were worried aboutjust howfar it wouldgo.
Soon, Purist churcheswere being constructedwith entire Followerneighborhoods.
They strovetoconvinceas many aspossible,andwithso many sufferingTechnoshock,
they were well received by the populace. Their churches overjlowed, many people
renouncing their cybernetics, having them removed and cleansing themselves of
evil.
However, the Pure Ones, as the founders of this movement called themselves,
believed that even those who did not want to be cleansed must be. They must be
shown the error of their ways. They organized the Immaculate Order of Purgers,
who were the black-robed, armed members who wouldgo out into the streets, preach
and attack those with obvious cybernetics.
Thiswas when the elders d e d d it hudgone toofar, and tried to step in. The Pure Ones
would have nothing to do with them, claiming that they had been subverted by
technology. There were also problems with the police, who were increasingsurveillance
ofthe nilt, and many gangs werefightingback, exacting revengefor previous Purges.
The Purists, though strong in numbers, werefacing constant troubles. The media
would show victims of the Purgers every night, the police maintained constant
surveillanceof their members and gangs were returning the violence in double. The
cult wasfalling apart by 2013,just afewyears after their introduction into society.
The worst blow came in 2013 when members began dropping out by the scores.
Attracted by the seemingly pleasant and comforting faith of the Church of the
26
Immortals, hundreds converted on a weekly basis. The Inquisitors (now proudly adopting this name) attempted to slur and scorn
the Church, but this might have very well increased the number who abandoned theirfollowing.
Now the Pure Ones, attacked on allfronts and with their support ripped outfrom under,fell. The Inquisition almost came to a
close, exceptfor a dedication which can aptly be temdfanatual. The Pure Ones decided that the church would scale down and
branch out. Soon there was a dozen subsects, each with its own angle. For example, Black Monday became the group that was
against the media and quickly became a terrorist group. The Mundane Monk, on the other hand, took to the streets, preaching
with a much more subdued tone.
Through all of this, the Pure Ones have maintained the main church and have denied affiation with the more violent sects. The
group is nowhere near itsformer glory, but is doing quite well as a cult.
27
MAJOR PURIST SECTS

The Followers of Spiritual Purity have many sects which are in some way
affiliated with the main church, regardless of the many protestations of the
Pure Ones.
BLACK MONDAY:
A terrorist group which attacks media institutions, mainly those that are involved
with television. Theyfocus most strongly on smaller stations, which are easier to
attack. The group is composed of small cells, ensuring that no one member can
betray more than afew comrades. This group is actively sought by the police and
federal legal enforcement agencies, not to mention media corporations who are
alarmed by thegroups record 3 televisionstations bombed, 9 hilled and 78 injured.
They typically target such institutions, or at the very least the main transmitter.
There are an estimated 48 members, broken down into 6-man cells. SaintJoseph is
the proclaimed leader.
MUNDANE MONKS:
A very peacefulgroup who believes that cyberneticsand electronicsare detrimental
to the spiritual well-being of a person. They preach on street comers to people
passing by, offering their wisdom They live a harsh lqe, without the benefit of
anythinggained by technology (they sleep in thegutters and refuse medical attention
other than simple binding of wounds).
They strongly believe in their cause, but refuse to use violence, even in self-defense.
They are also called the Mad Monks or the Martyrs, which is exactly how they see
themselves. There are only a dozen or so Monks in each major city, as converts
typically join the main church. They strongly protest against the actions of such
groups as Black Monday.
~
HOLY BRIGADE:
The Holy Brigade are the Solos and Nomads who believe that the causeshould be
fought for. They believe in a warriors life, where the strong rules. They train in
hand-to-hand combat techniques and disdain the use offiream and technological
weapons. However, rumors have it that the elite members do use assault rifles on
black missions. This is the muscle behind the Church, though of course it is never
acknowledged as such. The group fought as a whole during the Third Central
American war and was quite successful. Thereare nearly a hundred active members
of varying experience.
\
SCISSORS:
Another terrorist sect ofthe Purists, this group is actually quite large and has a large
number ofex-Netmnners in it. The main beliefis that the Net is the way ofthe devil
and is subverting the minds ofpeopZe in the 21st century. They seek to destroy the
Net, node by node if they must, by tearing it apart. There are afew hundred
members; however, only a small minority of them actively work at directly
destroying the Net. The rest simply protest its existence. They are also strongly
against the existence of Als.
z
28
-I
BELIEFS:
The Spiritually Pure believe most strongly that technology is the devils tool to
subvert humanity awayfrom God They see technology as having invaded the minds
of humanity and their bodies in theform ofcybernetics. By getting rid ofcybernetics,
the battlefor the body would be won, and then minds could also be regained.
They believe that the human body is ones own temple, and to have cybernetics
within it, is to bring the devil in your temple. Thisis the worst sin they can imagine,
and this is what they work most fervently against. ??ley advocate making all
cybernetics illegal, citing safety reasons (after all, cyberpsychos can hardly be
considered safe!).
However, while the churchs mainfocus is on cybernetics, they also are against all
technology, though the degree to which they disdain it varies. Some refuse to use
electronics but will willingly usefirearms, while others scorn any use oftechnology.
~
ORGANIZATION:
The highest level ofpower within the Folluwers are the Pure Ones. They number
twelve and each has below him three Bishops who have their own church,followed
by the lower ranks ofBrothers and Sisters and then simply Followers. A member of
a higher rank is always obeyed.
STATUS:
The Followers are numerous right now, with over 3000 members, though it is
fragmented and nothing compared to theirformer glory. Within the church proper
there are a couple of thousand members; the rest belong to the various sects. The
police are currently watching over all Follower activities with suspicion.
~~
RELATIONS:
The Followersaregenerally dislikedby other cults, but are being reevaluatedby the
larger churches. The lack of violence in their revised doctrine has made them
somewhat respectable and many larger religions agree that technology is an evil,
though perhaps not to the same degree.
MEMBER TYPES:
The most common member types are locals without any real action-oriented
occupation. Solos and Nomads find their way into the more violent sects, and it
attracts afew Rockers, but really it is more the common person on the street, who
normally would have no dealings with cybernetics anyway. Small towns are also
becoming caught up in this ideology, so many members arefrom small towns, and
have moved to the big city just like the original Pure Ones.
29
! i
The number of nihilistic cults in the

21st centuryhas increaseddramotically. This has had a powerfuleffect
on the general populace, especially since the majority of their
members are betweenthe ages of
16 and 24. Very few of them survive past their 24th birthday, preferringthe death most Nihilistsseek:
that of "Gowab (Going Out With A
Bang).
IMAGE:
The Nihilists are seen by outsiders as suicidal manias who believe nothing is worth
livingfor; they seek to die in spectacular ways. They are known to take life truly to
the Edge since they do not fear death; instead, they welcome it.
Many fear the Nihilists, who, not fearing the repercussions, will do practically
anything. Overall, though, they are the tragic result of a depressed society.
HISTORY:
?here have been Nihilistsfor as long as there have been people with the ideology that lfe
is hopeless. The Nihilist churchesfirst became popular during the later 20th century,
growinginpopularity among theyouth. Depressed economies and high unemployment
contributed to the feelings of despair, and the increasingly incomprehensible world of
cyberpunk has only multiplied memberships in thesefatalistic cults.
With the collapse of the United States in 1996, many people adopted the philosophy
ofNihilism, preferring suicide to the hardships of poverty and strife. This continued
until the year 2000, when a great change came about.
The Millennia cults left thousands disappointedand confused that the world did not
end with the second millennia They sought answers, and Christian Harbinger was
there to answer them. He wrote the Society of the Dead, spawning thefirst true
Nihilist church, and it soon spread across North America then over the world
Harbinger, the leader of the movement, soonachieved the status of Prophet of Death.
His three mainfollowerswere knownas the Horsemen ofDeath and as they traveled
across North America (and, later, over the rest of the world) on their motorcycles,
they spread Harbinger's word.
Atfirst only the suicide rate soared, but with Harbinger'sflashy suicide in 2016, the
homicide rate soared alongside as murder-suicides became popular. Harbinger
decided that he had had enough and was tired of the world. He then went to speak
to a group of protesters who were rallying against his church's presence. There, he
took out his book, and began to readfrom it. The crowd booed him, and began to
shout. Then they started to throw things at him He just laughed.
Seconds later, a militaryjetflew past and dropped a napalm bomb on the crowd and
church, killing afew dozen protesters and hundreds of members of the church along
with Harbinger. Apparently, he had set it all up in advance, but no one knows how.
'fie military denies any of theirjets were used.
Harbinger's death did nothing to slow the church's popularity. Instead, his suicide
attracted even morefollowers. The domination ofthe corporations and thegrowing
Combat Zones of the 21st century did nothing to soothe the already disheartened
public. Themovementgrewandgrew, andisverymuchapartof the Cyberpunkera.
BELIEFS:
The Nihilist Movementbek thatljfeishoples~?hat t h e is nop&ity that thingswill
impmeandanypleasurz which isfelt is temporary, m n to be replacedbypain andan@
They believe that everyone is dead as society is, within. To them, our spirits are
rotting w a y in the hell that our sickened society has created. To end the pain, we
must die, andaccept that the human racefailedat creatinga workable society. Their
flashy deaths tend not to befor publicity reasons, but, instead, to show that death
doesn't have to be as bad as people portray it to be.
Vltimately, everyone must die, and their answer to it all is to die on their own t e r n , quukly and as painlessly as possible. Why
have a slow lingering death? Many are pro-nuke, seeing it as a quick and easy way to eliminate humanity as a whole.
ORGANIZATION:
The Movement has different groups called Parties, each with their own Host, who is the leader (wally elected, but often just
whoever the members dont mind being the leader since politics are kept to a minimum). The Host is generally obeyed us much
as possible, but ifmembers really object, the Host will simply be overthrown and a new one elected Other than this, there is no
real hierarchy in the movement since there is little timefor that sort of thing.
~
~~~~
STATUS:
The Nihilist Movement is currently doing extremely well. There are over twenty thousand members in Parties across North
America and afew more thousands who claim allegiance. Movement members tend to be watched by the public and policeforces
with caution since they can be quite unpredictab2e.
RELATIONS:
The Movement ispitied strongly by the Church ofthe Immortals, who see them as scared kids. The Followers ofspiritual Punty see the
Nihilists as proofofthe destructivenature of technology and take pity upon them. Otherfundamentalistgroups simply discredit them
whenever possible. Most groups however, tend to avoid them, not wanting the Nihilists to suddenly take interest in them.
MEMBER TYPES:
There are no specific character types which arefound in the Movement because dl groups are represented. Perhaps the only ones
who are exceptions would be the Corporates, who live quite comfortable, if stressful, lives and Cops who cannot deal with the
lawlessness in the cult.
IMAGE:
The Society, as they like to call themselves, are seen as a benign group, with little
negative saidabout them. Themediatends to neglect themand they arenotgenerally
discussed mainly because there is nothing particularly scandalous about them, at
least nothing which has been made public.
More commonly known as the
Pattemists, the Mandelbrot Society is
a scientific cult. They claim that their
beliefs stretch back to the Pythagorean Musical Spheres, but really are
more relatedto modemfractaltheories, and holistic concepts.
The public knows the Society as the Patternists. They seepatterns in everythingand
are generally a bunch ofdruggies who have spent too much time watching the snow
on TV. Overall, they are hamless and pretty much a nice, ifweird, bunch ofpeople.
HISTORY:
The Society wasfounded in 1994, though othergroups with simifar beliefs had been
around prior to theirformution. They proposed the axiom that theuniverse unfolded
in patterns on every level and that all those levels are in some way interconnected,
bringing the whole universe together in harmony.
Thefirst group was only a half dozen or so, mainly scientists and some theologians.
They stayed this way for thefirst two years and then decided to expand Consequently, they organized into separategroups (there werefive of them to start with)
and were each to findfive new members. Then thosefive would eachfindf we new
ones, and so forth. This way they could educate a small group and expand
exponentially, in a pattern, true to their nuture. The Society grew rapidly. Their
beliefs were simple and they did not demand strict rules. The group was organked
along the lines ofa sodgathering and a way of life. Thiswas somethingwhich was
not too threatening to the lifestyle of the late 20th century North America.
Society members had soon set up their own news service so that they could
communicatewith one another directly and keep all the other groups up to date on
recent activities. Social events served to keep the groups together and beliefs
specifically tailored to the layman meant that newcomers were not overwhelmed by
a completely new ideology. However, as one progressed higher through the society,
more in-depth ideologies were presented.
By 2010, the Society was huge and dwarfed many older cults. Some called their
beliefs pseudo-science,but it was redly the mergingofscienceand religion. Thiswas
something which other religions had attempted in the past, but the startling success
of the Society had never been achieved before.
Nevertheless, the Society continues toflourish. There have been no major scandals
concerning this cult, nor have there ever been any accusations of brain-washing or
other typical activitiesusually associatedwith cults. Many insist that it is not a cult
at all, but merely philosophy lectures combined with social meetings.
However, one ofthe original members didgo insane at one point and it is believed that
the otherfour are on the verge ofinsanity. This is hept completely secret and the media
has not even guessed at the possibility. Only the top two levels of the cult are even aware
of this. lf it were to come out, it would certainly undermine the credibility of the cult.
BELIEFS:
The Societys ideology is based upon the idea that the universe is composed of
patterns existingonull levels. Inessence, theirphilosophy sees theuniverse asfractaf
in nature (hence the name Mandelbrot Society, in honor of Mandelbrots early
contribution to fractals).
What this means is that patterns occur on m y levels, and not only in laboratories, but in nature as well. For a m p l e , the tree
has branches, each branch has smaller twigs, and on each twig there is a leafwhich has tiny branches on it, which branch offinto
smaller branches still, etc.
Because everything repeats itself on different levels, it must be interconnected The belief is that the spirit of the universe, which
isfound in everything, is what connects theuniverse together. The physical munifcstationsofpatterns show this to be true. Next,
on the spiritud level, there are patterns and this is where upper levels ofthe Society get into mysticism.
When attemptingto divine the patterns of the spirit world, the group attemptsall sorts of r i t d s and ceremoniesfrom other past
human cultures and m& reference to almost every spiritual text in existence. Thqr believe that there are patterns to human
thought and seek tofind it. However, this is only at the upper levels and, generally, lower level members are merely concerned
with enjoying basic human patterns in the world, on dl levels (economic, political, social, etc).
Through m e n d patterns, Society members believe they will discover AbsoIute Redity. This is called Heaven, Nirvanu, etc, by
pastfaiths, but dl were misinterpretations. Absolute Redity is seeing the universe as it truly is, without dl ofthefilters of our
own dimensions and limited minds. One of the origind members has claimed to h e seen Absolute Reality. This member went
insane.
ORGANIZATION:
Within the Society, creativity infinding new patterns is encouraged. Seeking out these patterns is almost afill time occupution
tomost members, whodelightwhenthingsworkout,as thqrsaywhenapatternisemtrgingaspredicte~Eachgroupiscomped
of6 members. Five are new, or of a lower level than the sixth, who is dso part of a higher level group. The group defers to the
more experienced member, who teaches them to help them ascend to the next level. There are 5 distinct levels within the socicty,
with the 6th being onlyfor the originalfive members. it is interesting to note that this organizationis basedupon the1 Ching, which
is recognized to be one of the original Patternist texts.
STATUS
The Society is doing quite well right now, mainly because they have managed to keep any unfortunate incidtnts quiet,and hope
to maintain their secrecy. There are well over300,OOOmembers across the world right now,and it grows slowly everyfew years
(ii tukes a while to get afull new group together).
RELATIONS:
Theother cultsandmajorreligions arequiteuneasy about theSocietyduetoitspopularityandsincesolittleisknownabout them.
The Society believes that otherfaiths and beliefs are essential to the pattern ojspiritudity, and so dont mind them.
MEMBERWPES:
Ustlally Techies and Netrunners tend to be in the Society, though there are a surprising number of Rockers and Fixers in it as
well. Solos, Cops and Nomads tend to be absentfor some strunge reason. Other roles are present in small numbers.
33
lhe Shepherds are a strange cult

which is primarily community-oriented and bent on protecting society at large. This is strange consideringthe tight-knit nature of the group,
its capacity forviolence and the web
of secrecy that sunounds it.
IMAGE:
The Shepherds are seen as helpful and benevolent albeit mysterious, and are
accepted by society as saviors. Their aggressive nature only manifests itselfagainst
threats to the commongood of society, such asgangs andothercrimids. Thegangs
definitely dislike the Shepherds, who keep them out of the protected neighborhoods
and who are tough opponents.
The public does wonder about the secrecy and rumors of occultism, but wouldjust
prefer to ignore such reports. After all, they have made entire neighborhoods safe
at night. They have reduced crime by more than halfin the communitieswhere they
are located. Who would want to criticize such a group, even if it is a cult?
The media are curious but very supportive of their crusade against crime. Infact,
there is a TV show called Knight Watchmen that depicts a group of Snepherds as
medieval knights battling gangs such as the Dragon's Minions. The imagery
romanticbes them, ignoring the esoteric elements of the cult.
HISTORY:
The Shepherds started out with small neighborhood watch groups, founded all
across North America. These small groups then began to realize that the threat of
gangs and street violence was making it too difficultfor unarmed citizens to defend
against, and that a group that was more organized and anncd was needed
Mergingan age-oldesotericcult bent on communityconcerns,with the neighborhood

watch groups, the Shepherds came into being. The new crusaders, dubbed Shepherds, were charged with watching over theirjlock. As a result of corporatefunding
and donationsfrom local businesses, the Shepherds were now able to out-arm and
out-train the gangs they faced.
The police and media were hesitant atfirst, but the discipline and ubi& displqed by
theshepherdswasincred~leandneighborhoodsunder
theircontrol quickly becametcamcsafe
once again. It was a new kind ofpoliceforce, concernedwiththe community at large, an
attitude that had beenforgotten in the latter days ofthe 20th century.
However, while the Shepherds were cleaningup the streets, they were also working
diligently on recruiting within these areas. Prominent businessmen were encouraged to join and soon even corporate executivesformed a major portion of the
Fellowship of the Right, as they are known within the group.
The intricate initiation ceremony and other rites are all guarded secrets of the
Fellowship. Women are allowed to join, but are restricted to the two lower orders.
This has caused some trouble with the media, but there are no complaints within the
Fellowship. Everything is dealt with inside the Fellowship; those who discuss
Fellowship matters with outsiders are quickly silenced first with threats, or
subsequently with death.
BELIEFS:
The Fellowship u based on the belief that humans are inherently evil. Therefore, a
policeforce must be instituted to make sure that this evil nature does not interfere
with normal life. They have appointed themselves to that job. They are thepdge,
jury andexecutioner when it comes to crimewithin their area. Because each murder,
robbery andassault ultimately affectseveryone within the society, theyfeel that they
are justified in their harsh punishments.
Secrecy is enforced to ensure that their activities are not revealed to outsiders, who might not understand why they do what they
do and seek to shut down the group. Almost every memberfanatically believes that they are benefiting society at large in their
vigilante work and will always work to protect the Fellowship. They truly see themselves as Shepherds, tending the naive and
fragde sheep that is theirflock.
The upper levels of the cult use Esoteric magic in their ceremonies. It is rumored that certain rituals involve human sacrijce,
however due to the incredible secrecy concerning such rituals no information has emerged to confirm these rumors.
ORGANIZATION:
The Grand Muster ofthe cult is in charge of all major global group activities. However, within each individual city rules a Muster
who is in charge ofthat citys operations, with Councilmen within each oftheirprotected districts ruling over thosegroups. Below
them are four Orders. As one ascends through the ranks, more rituals and secret activities of the group are learned.
THE ORDERS OF PROTECTORS

There are seven Orders of Protectors, with each corresponding to more intimate knowledge of the Shepherds, the
rites they practice, the secrets they hold and the plots they contrive.
Here are quick summaries of those Orders and the procedures involving each
BECOMING A SHEPHERD
Becoming a Shepherd requires being sponsored by a member of the Second Order or greater. The characters
backgroundis checked.If the characterhas had any involvementwith revolutionary,criminal or subversivegroups,
he may be refused, unless the Shepherds truly want him.
The characterwill then be brought to the Grand Hall for one of the weekly meetings and be introduced as an initiate
to the Order. The character must then make a pledge never to betray the Order and to uphold its virtues (Honor,
Compassion and Vigdance) to the best of his abilities. The character is now a member of the First Order.
35
E 5c
i
THE FIRST ORDER - INITIATE
A character who is of the first Order will be required to spend one night a week on the Watch (patrolling the
neighborhood the character lives in with three other Shepherds).
The character will be taught the Prayer of Protection, which is a short prayer said before going out on the Watch.
THE SECOND ORDER - WATCHMAN

Once the Initiate is deemed trustworthy and has proven himself (taking anywhere from 2 weeks to 1year), he is
brought before the Council and must take another oath, this time to defend the community from all evils. A
Watchman must spend 2 nights a week on the Watch, unless relieved from this duty by the Council.
The characterisnow entrustedwith other Initiates on the Watch andmaynow frequent the Lodge whenever desired.
Generally, the only secrets learned at this stage are of other 2nd Order members affiirs and such. Watchmen are
generally not entrusted with any special duties. Also, note that this is the highest level that women are allowed to
attain in the Order.
THE THIRD ORDER - DEFENDER

When the Council deems a Watchman ready to become a Defender, the Watchman must perform yet another oath
(usually after spending 2- 12 months as a Watchman). This oath is to be the defender of humanity from its own evils.
Defenders generally lead the Watch, but must only do so twice a month. Again, they can be relieved of this duty by
the Council.
The Defender is entrusted with only the times and rosters of the Watches and is required to administrate said
Watches. Defenders tend to spend a great deal of time at the Lodge and enjoy one anothers company.
THE FOURTH ORDER - GUARDIAN

The last promotion the Councilpresides over is that of Defender to Guardun. It is an important promotion because
Guardians gain a great deal more information on the Order and are privy to more secret information. It generally
takes a year of being a Defender before the promotion to Guardian and then only members who have shown
unswerving loyalty and dedication are given the promotion.
The oath upon becoming a Guardian is to take any means necessary to protect humanity from itself. This includes
murder. In addition, they must take an oath of secrecy, accordingto which death is wished upon themselvesshould
they ever betray the Order.
Guardiansfreely associatewith members of the lower Ordersand are allowedto use such members for Order-related
activities, special raids against known criminals, etc. They are not required to perform any regular duties, though
may be ordered on specialassignmentsor work on the GC Squadwhen required. They are the lowest Orderadmitted
into the Grand Lodge, but only by invitation.
THE FIFTH ORDER - COUNCIWN

A Guardianwho has proved his loyalty and dedication (usuallyafter 1-5 years of being a Guardian)will be promoted
by the Masters Circle to Councilman. A Councilman must utter an oath to uphold the virtues of the Order, and to
protect the Society at all costs. There are generally only a handful of Councilmen in any city.
The Councilman sits on the Council of a citys Lodge. Decisionsare made on the groupsactivities, what community
groups the Order will sponsor, promotions of members, etc. This is a weekly meeting which Councilmen are
required to attend.
Councilmen generally know the activitiesof their members, therefore most of the activities of the Order. However,
the motives behind such actions are often the domain of their superiors. They congregate in the Grand Lodge and
are presided over by the Master of the city.
I
36
E
THE SIXTH ORDER - MASTER
A Councilmanwho proves himself truly dedicated and has connectionwith other Masters or the Grand Master may
be promoted after a time (2-6 years) to the rank of Master. At this point, the character is assigned a City to be Master
of. Then, all Shepherd lodges and activities in that city become the responsibility of the Master.
An oath of dedication and secrecy is again made upon becoming a Master, as are several rituals involving esoteric
magicks. The rituals are mainly to consolidate the Masters and bring an esoteric element into this bizarre cult.
Masters are given jurisdiction to order the death of crime leaders, treasonous members or anyone else deemed
dangerous to the group. However, caution is always advised, espeaally where public attention may focus. The
Masters are also allowed to override any decision by the Council.
The Master must meet with and preside over the weekly Council meetings as well as attend the quarterly Master's
Circle meetings (generally held in alternating cities). Every two years they must also vote upon which Master will
become the Grand Master.
THE SEVENTH ORDER - GRAND MASTER

There is only one Grand Master (currentlyNewton Tarl) at any one time. A Master wins the position by the Master's
Circle vote. Such a vote is held every two years, so the term of officeis 2 years. However, there are no rules against
maintaining the position if voted back in. The current Grand Master has held his position for 9 years.
The Grand Master decides the overall goals and activitiesof the Shepherdsas a *hole. While he must defer to some
degree to the Masters, he does have a very loose hand in doing as he wishes. The only real restriction to the powers
of the Grand Master is that he cannot keep the position for more than 2 years without a vote.
The responsibilities of the Grand Master, though, are very restrictive. Generally, the Master has to retire from his
career and administrate the Order as a full-time job. As such, the Order collectively pays the salary of the Grand
Master (a good annual 100,000eb).
STAlUS:
The Shepherds are doing very well at the moment. The majority of
their members are corporate executives whose corporations make
large donations to the cult. The police are happy to work side-by-side
with the group, with a fairly large portion of the police forcesin major
cities being members. There is every indication that this cult is here
to stay as they have the support of the powers of the 21st century.
RELATIONS:
The Shepherds are seen by the police force as a very useful cult.
However, authorities are a little hesitant about their methods and do
not always welcome their presence. The more traditional religions
overall see the Shepherds as an good group, always working for the
benefit of society.
MEMBER TYPES:
The majority of the members of the Fellowship are Corporates, with

a small number of Fixers and Medtechies. There is a good number of
Solos, though these tend to be of the upper class and less streettrained. Generally, anyone of upper or middle class could be a
member.
37
4
THE DIVERSE CULTS
There are many smaller cults with
assorted beliefs ranging from the
extreme to the moderate, from the
laughable to the dangerously fanatical. Here are brief descriptions
of the more common types of cults
one might encounter and the characteristics they share.
THE APOCALYPTlClSTS
Therehave always been dozens of apocalypticcults at any one point in time,
each predicting the ultimate End in some near future. However, they
inevitably fail because the End hasnt happened yet and may not do so for
a long time.
Nevertheless,the human psyche needs to believe that there will be an End,
a time when it can be determined who wonand when everyone will be
judged. Most people cannot be good all their lives without wanting some
justification,some reason other than personal satisfaction.An End provides
the perfect time when the good are rewarded for their sacrificesand the bad
are punished for their evil.
An apocalypticcult will emphasizethe best behavior possible, with terrible
reprimands for those who commit evil acts. A strong emphasis on good
versus evil will also be present, with the idea that the just will be rewarded
when the End comes. There may be the idea that merely followingthe faith
will save a person, which makes things easier for followers.
The predicted date of the end will generally be within a few decades, with
smaller ones usually seeing the end coming in but a few years. The cult
prepares for the coming end, but when it passes, becomes disillusioned and
either moves the date up again or disbands.
SEX SECTS
The sex sects tend to have one common fictor, sex. However, the context
tends to be of the spirituality of sexuality and its relation to fertility. Often
sex cults will be outside of cities, in rural areas, usually with an agrarian
based society.
Sex cults will have many rites and ceremoniesbased on sexuality,but often
with merely metaphorical rituals, and rarely involve actual sex. However,
sensuality does form a major basis of sex cults and a few do participate in
orges.
They tend to be quite open about swapping partners and about the nature
of their sexuality. There are also the opposite forms of sex cults, which are
incredibly restrictiveand believesexto be the worst sin a personcan commit,
banning sex completely. Such cults only survive by converting new members, as they cannot have children (although some modem ones might use
artificial insemination, seeing it as the ultimate virgin birth.)
GUILT GROUPS
The guilt groupsare typifiedby the Penitents,now extinct, who would whip
themselvesand subject their bodies to terrible torture to atone for their own
sins and for the sins of humanity. These cults are quite few since most people
tend not to want to suffer, but they are becoming popular again in the
troubled times of the 2 1st century. As people see the world fall apart around
them, they feel that it is because the world is so decadent and try to repent
for it.
Guilt-based cults will typically involve small, isolated groups who subject themselves to terrible punishments,
perhaps ultimately killing themselves in a horrific manner. They will also tend to discard items of luxury, keeping
only the bare necessities of life, if that.
An example of a Guilt-Cult would be the Mundane Monks, though they do not carry it to the extreme that the
Penitents did. The Church of SIN would be their complete opposites.
UTOPlSTS
Utopists seek to create the best society possible. This is most often accomplished through their beliefs which can
be extremely strict or lenient. The nuin characteristic they all share is the fervent belief that their own society is the
best possible.
Utopist cults will tend to leave society and set up communes in some remote area in an attempt to create their own
utopia. However, these groups tend to have very strict rules and leaving them is never easy. Extreme beliefs also
characterize these people who imagne that they have found the best life possible, and will not let anyone convince
them otherwise.
As one of the most common forms of cults, they are extremely popular in the Cyberpunk world. There will be groups
who have left for the Arctic and Antarctic (the only places that are still isolated), or even tried to live completely in
the Net in some sort of techno-spiritual existence.
A side branch of the Utopists are the Survivalists,who create the same sort of utopic societies, but believe that some
sort of apocalypse will befall the Earth. Since they are the only ones prepared, they will be the only ones to survive.
These groups tend to be highly dangerous; they are often extremely well armed and paranoid of everyone else.
FAITH SECTS
Faith sects revolve around faith healing. They are generally based around some major religion, but with a spiritual
leader who claims to be able to heal people with faith alone. This is not new to the world and has been around since
the earliest times. Typically, the beliefs are all based around the larger religion, except that liberties are taken with
the exact translation and interpretations to further the particular focus of the sect.
Sects of this sort typically do not outlive their leader, except that followers tend to go on to similar cults when the
current one is exhausted. These sects thrive upon media attention and typically broadcast their ceremonies, possibly
even having their own television stations.
SATANIC CULTS
The Satanic cults are the most commonly portrayed cults by
the media ever since the mid-20th century. However, they are
also some of the rarest cults present. Usually they are composed of half a dozen members who carry out rituals taken
from various occult books without ever really knowing their
significance or meaning. They are particularly bent upon
sacrificial rituals.
Satanic cults tend to center upon selfishness and sadism. Their
activities are almost all motivated by maliciousness. These
cults also tend to practice brainwashing and extensive indoctrination. However they are very rare and rarely have any real
power in the community. They are more of a nuisance, and
once detected by the police are quickly shut down.
PAGANS
This enormous cluster of cults emerged near the turn of the millennia in an effort to return to the first religion of
humanity.However, they dispute among themselves what this actually constitutes. Many of their ceremonies are
based around Celtic rites, or semblances of them, and some have been created entirely anew, supposedly inspired
by channeled spirits.
These groups tend to use the occult in almost every form. Herbs are used in great quantities with their mystical
properties, as are gems and other tools of the arcane such as tarot cards. These cults are a meshing of all the faiths
of the world, bringing them together, without however the structure of the voodoo practitioners.
Most interesting about the Pagan cults is their lack of distinct authority and apparent harmony within the group.
There is neither deceptive recruitment nor brainwashing. Indeed, they tend to be the most innocent of cults,
promoting happiness among their members and non-interference in other peoples lives.
NET WORSHIPPERS
These small cults are very new to society and generally have no more than a dozen members. They all have one thing
in common, which is the belief that a god lives within the Net and controls whatever goes on within. How they show
their worship varies widely. For more on this phenomenon, see Ghosts In T h e Machine.
CORPORATE CULTS
There have been a few smaller corporationswhich have taken on cult-like appearances or sponsor cults (such as the
Shepherds).A fervent dedication to onescompanyisnot all that uncommonin these times and, behind closed doors,
who knows what goes on?
Corporate cults tend to be highly bent upon secrecy, especially concerning the spiritual beliefs and activities of the
corporation. The company is often seen as the savior of the members lives. For many, this is true since the
corporations provide homes and a means of living in these troubled times.
CULTS IN YOUR
CAMPAIGN
There are many ways you can bring
cultsintoyourcampaigns; they serve
to open them up from just focusing
on corporations and undeworld
dealings to the human psyche and
religious beliefs. In a world as dark
and hopelessas Cyberpunk, faith is
the one fountain of hope left for
many.
The following informationdescribes
how mast members of a cult are
recruited, indoctrinated and what
sort of things they will be expected
to do. The methods listed below
are for cults more interestedin brainwashing members, thus may not
be used by many of the cults described above.
RECRUITMENT
Cults tend to recruit younger people in their early to mid-twenties. Generally, they seek people who question the world and want answers. The cults
provide these answers and seem to offer the kind of support that is needed.
Very strong-willed people will not generally be sought out by cults, who
prefer instead the weak-willed and the disillusioned. However, extremists
who agree with the cult's goals will always be welcome, but they will
generally join of their own accord and will not be recruited. If a character
seems to be very opposed to the cult's doctrine, they will probably not try
to recruit him.
A non-imposing member will usually be the recruiter, seeming to have
found "inner peace" and "friends" in the cult, and attempting to subtly
persuade a person to just "check it out". The character will at first be invited
to some of the functionswhich will emphasizehow much fun the cult is and
how happy everyone is. Then, the character will be invited to stay with the
group for a while, maybe a few days at first, and then a week, and so forth.
If the character stays with the cult for a while, the question of membership
will come up and the character will be forced to decide whether he wants to
join or not. If after all these efforts the character still seems to hesitate, they
will most likely leave him alone. However, if the character is very interested,
they will accept him as a member and begin indoctrination.
INDOCTRlNATION
The character's indoctrination will generally consist of a number of "study
sessions"during which he will be required to study whatever "holy" texts the
cult uses and any other cult literature. This ensures that the character is fully
knowledgeable in their beliefs. At the same time, the character will be asked
to stay at the cult's temple to ensure that there are no outside distractions.
While at the temple, the character will be kept on a rigorous schedule, with
very little sleep. The character will be kept under constant surveillance,with
a cult member ensuring that the initiate has no time to contemplate what is
happening. The food will have little nutritional value to keep the character's
mind dull. Repeated chantswill alsokeep the character's thoughts unfocused.
Indoctrination usually takes between 2 and 4weeks. Characters must make
a modified COOL check after the 2nd week and then another check after
each subsequent week. If the check succeeds, the character is unaffectedby
the attempts at indoctrination, If the check fails, the character gains 1DED
point in that ideology for every 2 points the check is failed by (round up) to
a maximum of level 8.
Even if the indoctrination works right away, cults tend to continue just to
ensure that a new member is devout in their beliefs. Therefore, they may
have 4 weeks of Indoctrination for any new member.
4
CULT LIFE
Once the character has been indoctrinated, he is considered a full member of the cult and can take part in cult
activities. Many have some sort of labor for cult members to perform "for the good of the cause". Depending on the
cult, the character may then attempt to rise through the ranks or may just participate in low level activities.
The cult may call on the character to perform certain duties depending on his area of expertise.Eventually, they may
have him attempt to recruit others, such as friendsand family. However, if the cult suspects the character might be
rescued by such fnends, they will try to keep the characterat some secret location and not allowhim to go out freely.
Cult life will involve prayers,meditationand/or chanting.There maybe elementsof drug useto keep members docile
or dependant. Generally,however, the focus will be on all actions working toward the goal of the cult, even if it is
only indirectly beneficial.
DOGMA AND DISCIPLINE

Members of cults are expected to obey the dogma of the cult completely and totally. Insubordination is generally
not tolerated,with all sorts of punishments for those who break the rules. Discipline tends to be quite high in most
cults (except in groups like the Church of SIN: "Discipline,what's discipline?").Thus, high-ranking members will
watch over the recent recruits to ensure they do not cause too many problems.
Even full-fledged members will be watched to some degree; there have been many infiltrators in past cults who
succeeded in breakmg them up by sowing dissent within the group.
A member who breaks too many rules, or causes too many disruptions will eventually be thrown out or "disposed
of'. Cults do not want troublemakers.
DEPROGRAMMING
A character who is rescued from a cult may not necessarily want to be rescued. If he has been indoctrinated, he will
in fact make everypossible effort to escapeback to the cult. This is when deprogrammingis needed. Note, however,
that not all cults are necessarily bad and deprogrammingjust means programming new -not necessarilybetter information over the old. In other words, it's brainwashing all over again. There is no removal of old beliefs,just
putting in new ones, supposedly better.
In deprogramming,the common elements of society, such as television, is often used as the dogma, or some more
traditional reliBon. The character is most likely restrained or confined to a building for a few weeks, and his will
broken in some way.
DEFINITIONS
Here are some common voodoo
and neo-voodoo terms:
~~
ASSON:
Rituaf rattle. Made of a calabash and encased in snake vertebrae. It is used by
Mam'bo and Houn'gan in their rituals. (7his would be an Item of Power).
BOKOR:
An evil sorcerer, practicing black ma@ and dealing with death.
CALABASH:
A ceremonial gourd or vessel, generally containing special ingredients.
CANZO, KANZO:
The initiation to become a Houn'gan. It generally involves a test byfire.
COUP L'AIRE:
A spell that causes some form of misfortune or illness, entirely spiritual or belief
oriented.
COUP POUDRE:
A spell that involves a magical powder (see AlkemicalArts in the Ars Nova chapter).
DJAB:
The devil, the ultimate evil spirit in Voodoo.
GAD:
A special tattoo that is supposed to protect initiatesfrom evil.
GOVI:
A special clay jar that holds the spirit o f a dead person.
HOUNFOUR, OUM'PHOR:
The vodatn temple, more specifually the inner sanctuary where the altar sits.
HOUNGAN, HOUN'GAN:
A vodoun priest and the leader of the vodoun community.
LOA:
Deities of vodoun.
MALFACtEUR:
An evil sorcerer who specializes in Coup Poudre.
MAMBO, MAM'BO:
A vodoun priestess, and often the leader of the vodoun community, much as their
male counterparts.
-ORDIN:
A special hounfourfor the neo-vodoun, dedicated to the loa of technology.
PE:
A voodoo altar.
~-
PERISTYLE:
A roofed enclosure with no walls and typically a dirtpoor where most ceremonies
take place.
POTEAU MITAN:
The center post in the peristyle from which the loa come.
POUDRE:
A magical powder.
w:
Flour or ash designs drawn on the ground and designed to invoke the loa. Each loa
has its own distinctive design.
THROUGH THE EYES OF VOODOO

~
~~
Vodoun or voodoo is a religion that developed out of the merging of dozens of African faiths in Haiti. It brought
together the people of Haiti, and as all religionsserves to keep that people united. It is differentfrom most religions
in its public portrayal in the rest of the world. It does have some exotic aspects, such as possession and zombies,
which has created a very bad image in the public eye.
The faith centers on the loa, who are not exactly gods. They are more akin to the saints of Christianity: holy, yet
not God. Vodoun does not exclude other religions. It believes in a single all-mighty God, yet also in the lesspowerful loa who are more concerned with mortal life. In a sense, the loa are sewants of God.
The loa help the people in times of need. For example, if you really needed help in business dealings you might
ask for Ayizan, the patroness of the marketplace, and end up doing better business. The loa also possess people
in special ritualsor in extreme situations.This is so that the followers can interact directlywith the loa, giving offering,
the loa being able to enjoy them through the body of the person it is possessing. Through this possession, the
person can also get special abilities, such as invulnerability to fire.
The darker aspects of vodoun, such as zombies and coup da'kes, are part of this society and religion's means to keep
order. If you are hurt, you can fight back through the sorcerers and houn'gan of your commun*ky.There is a purpose
for everjrhing in vodoun, though many of the darker aspects have been stolen by Edgerunners for evil uses.
The houngan or mambo is the spiritual leader of the community. They lead the rituals and are generally called
upon to heal or protect members of the temple. They sometimes curse people when trouble arises.
Neo-Voodoo takes the religion of vodoun and brings it into the 21st century. New loa have arisen to represent
the technological world of 2020. The original vodoun beliefs have not changed much, except to add the new
loa of technology to the daily life of the houn'gan and add the ordin to the temple.
PLACE OF WORSHIP
The houngan's workplace has two main locations (three in the case of neo-vodoun): the peristyle, the hounfour
and if new voodoo, the ordin. Each has its own function and purpose.
The peristyle is where most rituals and dances take place. It is a room without walls but with a roof. A center post,
the poteau-mitan, stands inthe middle of the room and is thefocal point of the dances. It is considered very holy and
special talismons and artifacts hang on it. Often the peristyle's ceiling is covered with dangling chams and trinkets;
in fact, the entire room is often quite full. The floor is most often dirt to give the best connection to the earth.
The hounfour is the innersanctuary, usuallyenclosed and hidden
away behind the peristyle. It is much more private and is used
forthe more critical ceremonies and for casting spells. It contains
an altar, or a Pe, on which there are offerings to the various loa
in the form of assofled powders, chams and foods.
The ordin is a special type of hounfour dedicated to the neovoodoo loa. In some temples, the hounfour is replaced by the
ordin. This room is specially dedicated to Compte, loa of
technology. There will be a Pe, except it will have o computer
on it and other technological devices will fill the room. It is the
most sacred place in neo-voodoo temples.
:
r
i
THE LOA OF OLD
AND NEW
There are too many loa to describe
here os there are almost as many
loa as there are practitioners of
voodoo. Instead. here is a quick list
of the major loa, followed by full
descriptions of the critical loa as
well as the more popular new loa
of neo-voodoo.
AGW:
Loa of the sea.
AYIZAN:
Loa of the marketplace, the mate of Loco. In neo-voodoo, she is seen as the loa of
commerce, whose aid is sought by businessmen and corporates.
AZRIEL:
The loa of the sky, the true master of the sky;
BARON SAMEDI:
The loa and protector of the cemetery (and in neo-voodoo, the morgue and body
banks).
COMPTE:
The loa of technology, exclusively a neo-vodoun loa.
DAMBAUAH WDO:
The loa of lve, one of the most important loa.
ERZULIE:
The loa of love, also adopted by neo-voduun.
GHEDE:
The loa of the d e d
GRANS BWA:
The loa of theforest. Abandoned largely by the neo-voduun.
GUINEE:
The spiritual homeland of the loa.
LEGBA:
The loa of communicationand protection, taken by neo-voduun to be the loa of the
Net.
LEGER:
The loa governing the sky and aircraft, exclusively a neo-vodoun loa.
LOCO:
The loa of vegetation.
N~L:
The loa of electronics, exchively a neo-vodoun loa.
OGOUN:
The loa offire, war and metals.
BARON SAMEDI
The Baron Samedi,perhaps one of the best known loa, is of the same family
as Ghede and is the ruler of the cemetery. He is also the loa involved in
making zombies and thus is also greatly feared by people.
The Baron Samediis alwaysdepicted as wearingformalclothing,black suits,
starchedcuffs,etc. He alsohas a skull-like face,whichis why those possessed
by him paint a skull on their face. He is also disrespectfulof death or other
serious matters, much like Ghede.
COMPTE
The Compte is the loa of technology and is seen as the great god in the neovoodoo family of loa. He represents innovation, invention and technology
of all sorts. The ordin of the temple is a room dedicated to him as well as the
other neo-voodoo loa. His symbol is an atom.
46
Worshippersutter a prayer to have his support whenever using any sort of technological device. His day is Friday;
for some strange reason he enjoys the sacrifice of junk food.
When people are possessed by the Compte, they stand very tall and silently,blurting out technical information of
some arcane origtn (though factually correct) at random moments. He will continue this unless asked direct
questions. Even then, he will answer literally to only what is asked; any deviation and he will ignore the question
or request.
DAMBALLAH WED0
Damballah is known as the serpent god and is associated with anything resembling the snake. He deals with
movement, energy, and life. Thus, Damballah is known to almost all practitioners and is deemed one of the most
powerful loa.
Damballah is invoked regarding issues of fertility,marriage, mobility, power and the future. Wednesday is his day;
a hen and a cock are generally sacrificed to him but they must be white.
When people are possessed by Damballah,they act like snakes,hissingand crawlingon the ground.They also climb
trees and hang down by their legs. Instead of speaking, Damballah whistles, malang a strange staccato sound.
ERZULIE
Erzulie, also known as Erzulie Freda, is sometimes called the Virgin of the vodoun loa. She symbolizes pleasure,
sensuality,beauty and feminine grace. There is always a room or comer in the temple dedicated to her, filled with
cosmetics, dresses and jewelry. She is also associated with serpents, for which she is both feared and loved.
Erzulie is involved with love, health, beauty, fortune, goodwill,jealousy, vengeance and conflict. She is thus a very
difficultloa to deal with as she can cause as much good as harm, She enjoys presents from men, lending good fortune
upon their lives.
When people are possessed by Erzulie, they dress as a woman, even if a man is possessed. They will walk swinging
their hips provocatively.They will act as a woman while possessed, very flirtatious yet wise.
GHEDE
One of the most important yet feared loa is Ghede, the master of death. He is at the head of a large family of loa
associated with the end of life and what happens after death.
Ghede is both the loa of death and resurrection. He recently has been reported to be present on the Net possessing
runners,which has caused a great deal of fear among voodoo runners.Saturday is his day; his color is black and
he enjoys black goats and chickens as sacrifice.
When Ghede possesses a person, all the other loa present leave immediately.Thisis because the loa do not associate
with the dead. Ghede will act disrespectfully to everything, and make fun of peoples fear of death.
LEGBA
Legba is another of the powerful loa and the neo-voodooists see him as even more
powerfulthan Damballah.He is thought to be the master of the mystical barrier that
separates the physicalworld from the spiritual one. He is used a lot in neo-voodoo
rituals and has been named the mainloa of the Net. He is also present at almost every
ritual, as he is the one who opens the gate.
Legba is invoked with regard to issues of protection, the spirit world and more
recently,the Net. Tuesdayis his day;multi-colored roostersare his favoritesacrifice.
When people are possessed by Legba, they act as a kindly old man and will limp,
as he is said to have a broken foot.
4
LEGER
Leger is the sparrow soaring through the skies. While Uger soars the skies, she must still obey Azriel (the Master
of the sky). Uger is the loa that is prayed to and has sacrificemade to prior to travel by air. Uger is only concerned
with the safety of the sky, clear flying conditions and getting home safely.
Leger's time is during daylight hours and she enjoysbread sacrifices.While this is one of the lesserloa, it is indicative
of how diverse the loa are.
Uger has been known to possess pilots during bad s t o m or when a plane gets into danger, and fly the plane in safely.
Thisloa does not possess people in temples often, instead preferring sacrifice and to help those who truly need it.
NEEL
Nee1is seen as a rat. Deviousand found everywhere,he is the loa of electronics.He wearslight grey clothing (generally
not well kept). Of the same family as the Compte, Nee1 is of particular importance to those dealingwith electronics.
He concerns himself with the smooth operation of electronic equipment as well as cybermodems.This is why most
'runners have small altars of worship to him.
He is worshipped daily in the form of a prayer (a wish that nothing technical will be damaged) and a sacrificein the
form of a small technologcal artifact burnt in a ceremonial fire next to the computer. The most common forms of
sacrifice are diskettes and circuit boards.
Those possessedby Nee1crouch down and sniff aroundwith their nose. They are particularlyinterestedby electronic
equipment and will have great skill at fixing or building electronic devices. However, Nee1 will have no manners,
moving around bent over, nose twitching.
THE RITUALS
OF VOODOO
Ritualstypicallyinvolve dancing and
possession but vary widely depending upon the partiicular goal. There
are tables holding the various OfFerings, typically food that the loa to be
summoned enjoys. There are also
animals presentto be sadicedlater
that night if need be. All the necessary items must be assembled, nothing must be forgotten.
The houn'gan or mam'bo begins
by drawing the magical veves on
the ground using flour or ash. These
symbols are used to invoke the loa
but are only potent while being
made. Once finished, they lose all
their power and are typically destroyed by the dancing which soon
follows.
The ceremony then starts. There is typically a reading of ceremonial

Catholic prayers but this has been replaced in most neo-voodoo ceremonies with prayers to Compte and kgba. Ceremonies often begin with,
"Papa Legba, awri bade pou nous passer," which means "Open the way
for us to pass." There is singing and dancing throughout the ritual which are
supposed to summon the loa. Sacrifices are made if any are necessary to
the ritual. Sacrifices in neo-vodoun tradition are burnt in a ceremonial
stainless steel pot.
The ceremony picks up pace, building
into a frenzy. As the dancers slow down
and fall into odd positions, the loa begin
to possess people. Typically only one
person is possessed and they are quickly
escorted by the houn'gan or mam'bo to
be dressed as the loa enjoy appearing.
The ceremony ends near morning, after
the loo (or rather the people they have
possessed) have beenwell-fed and pampered. The loa will look favorably on the
person for whom the ritual was thrown
and, hopefully, good fortune will shine on
them in the coming days.
THE MOUNTING
OF THE LOA
When a loa possesses people, they
take on that loa's personality and
generally their dress (assuming it is
providedto them). Notethat male
loa can possess men and women
alike os can female loa. The person possessed assumes the dress,
manner and gender behavior of
the loa. Therefore a woman possessed by a male loa would dress
and act like a man.
The loa will often renderthe person
immune to minor injuries while
present, such as from fire. In many
cases, the loa will confer special
abilities to the person possessed
such as being a better lover in the
case of Etzulie.
The loataking possessionwill cause
the person to convulse and shake
as the loa adjusts to its physical
form. The person possessed then
assume the persona of the loa.
After the loa leaves, the exhausted
person usually collapses due to
fatigue.
VOODOO
ARTIFACTS
There are many vodoun attifacts
which ore mainly used in the rituals
and have no real magical powers.
They are simply symbolic representations of various powers and setve
as foci for the riial.
TALISMANS
Talismans are meant to protect the wearers spirit from danger, much like a
guardian angel. They usually are related to a particular loa and the character
is expected to serve that Loa faithfully while wearing the talisman. There are
also neo-vodoun talismans, built of technologicalartifacts, typically used by
techies and runners.
The protection is only psychological but gives a bonus to the characters
COOL checks when worn by dedicated followers. A bonus equal to the
characters DEDI3 (round down) is gained while the character has the
talisman in his possession. They would normally cost from lOOeb up to
lOOOeb depending on the quality and work put into them.
HEALING BATHS
Healing baths are very common to vodoun; pilgrimages are made to specific
lakes and to the ocean in rituals which are supposed to heal and protect ones
spirit from harm. Similar in effect to talismans, healing baths are considered
much more powerful. Typically large numbersof people go at the same time
in a group ceremony running from dawn to dusk. This is not common with
neo-vodoun as there are no such locations in most major cities.
Bathing in a specificbody of water that is considered sacred will confer a +1
to the characters Luck stat for the coming year or heal 1point faster for the
next day, but only if strong voodoo beliefs (DED 8+)are present.
VOODOO DOLLS
The most commonly known aspect of voodoo is the infamous voodoo doll.
The dolls are the same as other voodoo magic items except that this ritual
of vengeance requires a doll representation of the victim, along with parts
of the victim, such as hair and blood. Then, using silver pins, the character
gives the victim pain by inserting them in various locations of the doll.
Like all other voodoo magic, belief on both the part of the character
performing the ritual and the victim are necessav for true success of the
ritual. Ifbothbelieveinvoodoo (DED 6+), the dollswillworkandcause ld6
damage to the victim in the location the pin was placed on the doll. If the
heart is struck, the victim must make an instant Death Save at -6. If the victim
does not believe, he will be unaffected.
Note that voodoo dolls were not origmally an aspect of vodoun, but have
been adopted to reflect the media depiction of voodoo. Most houngan and
mambo will refuse to admit they exist, with only bokor using them.
Some neo-vodoun runnersuse a similar concept to the voodoo doll. They
create a duplicate image of the icon of a netrunner they dislike, and stick
virtual pinsinto it, supposedly injuring the person. Use the same rules as for
voodoo dolls. However, note that neo-vodoun is a faith that both involved
parties must share.
THE MAKING
OF A ZOMBIE
One of the most infamoustopics of
horror movies, zombies are a scary
part of voodoo magic. Death is
something considered sacred to
voodooists, so the prospect of not
staying dead is especially frightening to voodoo worshipers. Generally, the Baron Samedi is the loa
associated with zombies.
Unlike the popular myths though,
people are made zombies as a
punishment for misbehavior in the
vodoun society. They are judged
by the secret societies and if
deemed guilty, a bokor makes
them zombie.
This is accomplished by first leaving
a special powder on a cross outside the home of the victim. The
powder, a special poison, is absorbed by the skin. Within a few
hours, the victim gets very sick and
"dies". The victim is buried and
then dug up two days later. At this
point, a new drug is administered,
the bokor beats the victim and
takes him far away to be used os
slave labor.
51
Ec
It is largely a cultural phenomena. The victim believes himself to be a

zombie and acts accordingly. The victim's family and friends see him as
dead, and will not accept him back into society. However, it must be
remembered that the victim is guilty of some crime.
In 2020, many bokor sell this service outside of their culture. The overall
result is slightly different due to the advanced medical technology present
and the lack of vodoun beliefs intheir targets, butthe powder's effects are
consistent. Now the worst pbnishment one can inflict upon an enemy is to
make him a zombie.
Actually, the making of zombies is a closely guarded secret of the highest
ranking bokor. The victim first hasto come in contactwith a specialpowder.
However, if it is ingested or too much is taken, death will surely result. At
this point, the victim will hove digestive problems and experience vomiting, respiratorydifficulties, hypothermia, rapid lossof weight, hypertension
and an overall sick feeling. This lasts for 2d6 hours after which time the
character must make a Death Save at -4 (-8 if the poisonis ingestedor too
large o dose is taken).
If the victim survives, he will become paralyzed, unable to act but
completely conscious. All of his vital signs are extremely low, simulating
real death. It requires an Average MedTech check to detect life signs using
high tech equipment and a Nearly Impossible check with low tech
equipment.
This paralysis lasts for approximately 48 hours, after which the victim can
again move normallyand will be fine. However, before this, the bokor will
probably dig up the body and administer the antidote which awakensthe
victim. It is also a drug that causes an induced state of psychotic delirium,
disorientation, confusion and amnesia. This is what truly makes the victim
a zombie. It is in this state that the victim is introducedto his new existence
and given a new name. This tends to concretize the new identity in the
weakened victim's mind.
The game effect of the drug are as follow: the character's effective INTand
EMP are reduced by 2/3rds, rounded down. COOL is increasedby + I , and
it requiresan INT check to rememberanythingfrom the past. They will have
a level 10 Dedicationto the bokor. This only ends when the bokor dies.
The drug lasts for about 72 hours but is generally administered daily.
According to some voodoo legends, sweets or salted food will awaken
the mind of the zombie. The truth of this tradition is up to the GM.If it is true,
then the zombie awakens from the trance and remembersthe past. The
zombievictim becomes self-aware and can act. Bokortypicallymake sure
that their zombies do not taste anything but bland food, and meager
amounts at that as they know the legends as well.
z
52
STALKERS
The first and most terrifying "horrof'
on the street today is the stalker.
They dominate the nightmares of
today's children as they hear about
the kidnapping down the block or
see someone following them. The
classic fairy tale of the time is Jack
the Stalker, a story about a kid who
was stalked and only escaped because he knew what do to. The
fairy tale terrifies children who realize that it is not fiction, but fact.
Stalking is a homible phenomena
that thrives in contemporary times
despite the continued legislation
against it. Improved technologies
have only served to facilitate the
activities of the stalker, sometimes
making him next to impossible to
catch.
STALKING G THE LAW

Since the turn of the millennia, almost every nation and city has developed
stalker legislation of some sort. It has only served to make Stalkers more
careful and secretive.
Under the new stalker legislation, police are obligated to investigate any
substancial report of a stalker. A suspected stalker may be arrested, forced
to submit to a psychological examination, and held for 30 days. Victims of
stalkers are afforded police protection (typically provided by a contracted
security agency).
Possession of surveillance equipment can be enough evidence to convict a
person of stalking. "Conducting surveillance of a person without their
knowledge, with malicious intent" is now an offense punishable by up to 10
years in jail. This could pose a danger to characters who are pursuing an
executive for an extraction;indeed many corporations have pressed stalking
charges in an effort to foil possible extractions. However, this is only done
when the corporate security itself cannot be bothered to deal with the
stalker.
Aconvictedstalkercanface 5-50 yearsin a high security penitentiary. Repeat
offenders are typically executed. Some states experiment with Exile Implants, which cause intense pain as soon as the criminal gets within 5 miles
of the victim. However, these require the victim to wear a similar implant.
Nevertheless, leniency is rarely granted in stalker cases anymore.
THE STALKER PROFILE

The typical stalker is psychotic, fixated upon their victim. All of their actions
are centered around the victim. This often means they lose their jobs as they
cannot concentrate on other tasks. They become extremely skilled at
Shadowing, and some develop photographic and surveillance expertise.
Luckily, they are rarely intelligent due to their obsession and their singleminded approach leaves them wide open to police investigation. They will
often maintain a plea of innocence of any wrong-doing as they see their
actions as being normal.
Many are dangerous and may have combat experience. However, they are
often cowards who will only attack the weak or have others fight for them.
In fact the most difficult pag in stopping them is finding them; once that is
done, they are rarely a challenge to defeat or capture.
Most stalkers are male, however there is an increasing number of female
stalkers. Female stalkers tend to be less violent but can also be much more
dangerous than their male counterparts as they are often judged harmless.
Caution must be exercised when dealing with any unstable individual.
54
SERIAL MURDERERS
Serial murderers commit repetitive
killings, usually only one-on-one.
Often strangers ore killed and there
are no dear-cut motivesfor the slayings. Serial murders are a growing
concern in the lethal 21st century,
though it dates back to Jack the
Ripper and earlier such assassins.
lhe latest figures in 2020 show that

between 5000 and 6500 persons
are slain annually by serial murderers. The fact that serial murderers
cony on for years before being apprehendedandthat they most often
murdercompletestrangerscombine
to ceote a real threat to society.
THE SERIAL MURDERER PROFILE

Most serial killers are in the 25 to 35 year-old age group and are almost always
male. The victimscan be of any age groupbut aremost commonly female. Other
than this, the s e d lnller can come from any socioeconomicbackground.
Serial murderers tend to commit excessiveviolence, have a desire to blame
someone (often the group they murder), act impulsively and have little or
no emotional remorse for their acts.
There are four major types of serial murderer as defined below:
VISIONARY
These types commit the killings in response to "voices" or "visions" which
instruct them to do so. They are often psychotic and quite out of touch with
reality. Luckily these types are extremely rare.
Visionary killers tend to randomly select victims, generallycomplete strangers. The killings are rarely premeditated and are often disorganized.
MISSION-ORIENTED
This type of serial killer has a conscious goal to
eliminatea particulargroupor category of people.
They see the destruction of all members of this
categoty as beneficialto mankind. They are often
very lucid and aware of their actionsas opposed to
the visionary, though sociopathicin the extreme.
Mission-oriented killers will tend to have a
specific type of victim that they select based
upon their being in the "offending"category or
not. However, they are almostalways strangers.
The mission-oriented murderer also tends to
plan the murders and conducts them in an
orderly fashion.
55
HEDONISTIC
The hedonistic murderer kills for the pleasure it gves. The act of murder is gratifymg for the killer. They have no
problem with killing forthe simplejoy of it. Avariant upon this type are those who kill for "comfort". Usually seeking
the wealth of the victim, they murder repeatedly to maintain their comfortable lifestyle. They may also enjoy the
attention of the media which is certainly prevalent in the world of 2020.
The hedonistic killer generally chooses random strangers. However, they sometimes attack known people as well.
Their murders are often planned, with some degree of organization.
POWEWCONTROL-ORIENTED
The last type of serial killers enjoys the absolute power of life-or-death over their victims. They seek to exert this
power in a most lethal manner. They will often be the most brutal killers.
The control-oriented killer has chosen a category of victims (often related to their past), and will seek those out. Their
murders are planned and they are extremely careful about spreading their murder locations to confuse the law
enforcement agencies.
MASS MURDERERS
Mass murder is the killing of multiple people in one instance. Often, the
murderer kills himself after the mass slaying.
Not as feared as the stalker, the mass murderer is nevertheless a great
concern to the public. The media enjoys a mass murderer as they continue
to make headline news. Murder alone, it seems, is no longer frightening
or newsworthy. It is the senseless slaughter of crowds which captures the
fascination of the public.
When it comes to normal murder, there is often some warning, some prior
alert. However, mass murders are seemingly without rhyme or reason and
there is no way to predict them.
Mass murderers are symbols of modern society: senseless, violent and
destructive. They have failed to deal with their past, often a painful one,
and turned extremely destructive.Their hopelessness is also a keynote as
they often kill themselves before being captured. What representsdespair
more than these people?
THE MASS MURDERER PROFILE

Mass murderers tend to be male and over 25 years old. Firearmsare typically
used by mass murderers due to their effectivenessand distancing effectfrom

the victims (both physically and psychologically). Large cities tend to have
the highest concentrations of m a s murder; people often break under the
strain of urban life.
There are three major types of mass murderers:
t
56
t-AMILY
Family mass murderers are oftenpsychotic, believingforsome reason that they must kill their family. In some cases,
a purpose is present (though rarely a sane one), such as sparing them from the pain of life. They often perceive their
actions as doing the family a favor.
The family mass murderer is almost always a member of the family involved or is closely involved with it. There is
rarely any warning before the incident. They often commit suicide after having murdered their family.
INDISCRIMINATE
The worst kind of mass murderer, this type will for some unknown reason proceed to randomly kill people. They
may choose a particular location, though once there their victims are whoever is unlucky enough to happen along.
The murders are often preceded by a psychologcal breakdown, though whether it is evident to those close to them
is not always apparent.
Indiscriminatemass murderers will rarely know their victims and the murder spree will be an impulsive act. They
often commit suicide once capture by police is imminent.
BIAME-OR1ENTED
Blame-oriented m a s murderers are very similar to indiscriminate killers in that their victims are rarely known to
the murderer. However, unlike indiscriminatekillers, they choose a group of people to be their victims. They may
kill others who get in the way but their primary target is that group. These murderers often seek out a place where
they believe they can find the highest concentration of people belonging to that group.
Blame-oriented mass murderers also often commit suicide after they are finished. There are more indications of a
blame-orientedmass murderer as they frequently plan their murders and show obvioussigns of anger and hostility
toward the group they dislike.
57
ES
GHOULS
With the development of technologies allowing the transplantation of
limbs and body partscameo new dimension ofthe age-old medicalbody
snatchers. The value of body parts increasedtenfold overnight and a new
breed hit the streets: Ghouls.
Like vultures, they hover around the city, watching and waiting for
someoneto die. Then they make their move, eager to snatch up the body
and collect the fee for their prize. Some make a living at it and are
registered with the government, but others -the ones truly deserving the
name Ghoul do it as a hobby.
The true ghouls only hunt on their free time as they typically have other
jobs. They rarely have a license, instead knowing some street ripperdoc
who'll buy bodies with no questions asked. Some are rumoredeven to kill
people for their body parts when unable to find dead victims inthe streets.
The worst stories ore of Ghouls who keep their finds at home. These are
the sickest ones, which is why new legislation in most cities has stiff
penalties for illegal Ghouls. Public opinion sides heavily with the government as people despise Ghouls for their evil profession.
Nevertheless, people being fascinated with the bizarre, the media has
often followed the exploits of Ghouls and brought them into the nightmares of children everywhere.Stories are told of Ghouls who steal children
from their beds at night. They are the proverbialtrolls of the modem age,
evil to the core and despicable by nature.
THE GHOUL PROFILE

There are basically two types of Ghouls: The Professional and the Dark
Ghoul. Professional Ghouls are hated by the populace; seldom will they
admit their profession.They work out of unmarked vehiclesand sometimes
in pairs. They move quickly and efficiently, with their licenses in order,
checking any potential body for its donor card.
REO Meatwagonis an example of Ghoul enterpriseand suchbusinesses exist in

every city, often with some competition. Hospitals sometimes have Ghoul
Patrols that procure bodies for them directly. They also double as Blood
Procurationpersonnel, buylng blood from those who need the money.
Dark Ghoulsare the truly sick onesasthey usuallywork out of their ownvehicle,
which reeks of decay and rot. They are almost alwayslonersand oftenlingerover
theirjob. They are not too picky and some even prefer a great deal of gore in their
finds. The report of a Dark Ghoul will bring police quickly enough. They are
treated as the worst of all criminals as they desecrate the dead.
Dark Ghouls often deal with small ripperdoc operations as the larger
organizations prefer to keep away from them. Many cities have permanent
exile as the penalty for illegal Ghoul work.
.-
58
2
DORPH ZOMBl ES
Twe addicts to Dorph eventually end up as Dorph Zombies. There are an
estimated 1000new cases daily inthe UnitedStates as of2020. Symptoms
include total apathy, brain and neural degeneration, depression and a
definite psychological addiction to the drug. Some intense cases exhibit
sporadic catatonic episodes. Typically the eyes are entirely dilated and
respond minimallyto any stimulus. Their newous system is almost entirely
destroyed, having lost most motor coordination and suffered a good deal
of brain damage.
They stumble through the streets aimlessly, forgetting who or where they
are. The sad pan is that many are killedfor fun by gangs, while others are
recwited by the unscrupulous for cheap labor (essentially free) or used by
some for prostitutionrings (hightyillegal). RecovelyfromDorphZombiehood
requires expensive rehabilitationand full recoverymay never be possible.
DORPH ZOMBIE PROFILE

One becomes a Dorph Zombie once their REF or INT is reduced to 1R its
original. At this point, the character begins to forget a lot of things, requiring
an INTcheck to remember anything. Once the charactersREF reaches 2, the
damage is irreparable and the character will be crippled for life.
Rehabilitation of a Dorph Zombie is possible. For 5000eb and one month,
1point of REF and 1point of INT can be regained. However a maximum of
ld6D points in either may ever be regained. Some people just never get
better, making this innocent-seeming drug quite deadly.
:
!
LACERS
A Lacer is a personwho is addicted to Black Lace. They are not as common
as Dorph Zombies but are worse oft in a sense. Their eyes are bloodshot,
faces twitching, hands tubbing constantly and never able to sit still.
Eventually, they go on killing rampages or simply kill themselves.
Black Lace is used by those who need an edge over others; however this
eventuallywearstheir bodies down. Extreme aggressionwas noted as the
major side effect with long-ten users being delusional, extremely selfcentered and anti-social. They also suffer recuning flashbacks of their
terrible delusions.
Lacers become emmelyremoved from normal society. They increasingly
lose touch with reality until they finally snap. From psychological studies,
it's been found that the Lacer sees the world as out to get them. They begin
to hallucinate heavily with their worst nightmares appearing all around
them. A sense of hopelessness unlike that of any other drug comes over
them and suicide often follows.
Treatment for Lacers is almost impossible since the decline is so rapid that
treatment Is rarely possible in time. Only two cases have lasted for over a
year and they are both under constant surveillance.
THE LACER PROFILE

Once addicted to Lace, a character is gone. Hallucinations of the character's
worst fears will begin to appear all around, and everyone will seem to be
plotting against them, secret conspiracies gathering all around.
The phenomenon builds slowly enough that the character might not notice
it at first. As the stressbuilds, themost commonreaction&to takemore Lace,
which brings more hallucinations. Eventually everyone is suspect. However, there is alwaysa strongcompulsion to keep this a secret asthe character
feels there is simply no one that they can trust.
By the final stages, the hallucinations are extremely intense and sleep is not
possible. The victims will believe the only solution to avoid a long and
tortuous death is to kill themselves. Next, they will seek death in the surest
manner possible.
Rehabilitation is not easy;only constant supervision will ensure the addict
does not commit suicide. However, since the character can never get off the
drug they will simplylive in absolute fear for a longer period of time. Indeed,
treatment can sometimes be much worse than just letting the poor soul put
himself out of his misery.
TERRORISTS
~
There has always been extremists who believe that the "ends justifies the
means". Using terror as their main weapon, they seek to achieve their
goals by scaring authorities into compliance. They are also refered to as
freedom fighters by those who agree with their political agenda.
Fear of terrorism is yet another nightmare of the modem em. Able to kill
hundreds with a single bomb, terrorists have become more efficient and
mobile. While security enhancements have reduced overall terrorist
activii, those few successful actions have had dreadful consequences.
Take for example the bombing of the New York Stock Gcchange building
in 1993, or the poisoning of the London water supply in 2004 by IRA
terrorists. Striking the public at its core has become the new form of terror
as opposed to the taking of planes or other small actions.
The terrorists of the modem era have more outlets for their propaganda;
technology allows them to run pirate radio and television stations in an
effort to gain support for their causes. Around the world, stations run by
terrorist organizations appear, exposing the world to extreme viewpoints
on a daily basis. In many cases this has failed, turning public opinion
against them, but in some places it has gathered additional support: the
public became sympathetic to tfieir cause.
Here are the five major types of terrorist activity:
BANK ROBBERY
Terrorists sometimes rob banks or commit similar crimes to raise funds to
support their group. Terrorism is not a cheap business as arms and
explosives must be bought; some members may require additional funds for
other operations. Since hard cash isless and less used, they target bankswith
valuables such as precious metals.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult to determine if a bank robbery was the
work of a terrorist group or an unaffiliated gang. Only their intense
organization and precision sometimes betray their true nature.
Other related crimes include tax evasion, extortion and more recently,
hacking. Many of the modem terrorist groups break into banks and steal
money electronically. Again it is difficult to determine whether a terrorist
group or a lone hacker is responsible.
KIDNAPPING
Terrorists typically kidnap important people for one of two reasons: for
ransom or for political weight. In case of ransom, they choose the wealthy
and use the collected funds to buy arms. Otherwise, they choose political
leaders to bargain with the government for the release of political prisoners.
They are used in a similar manner to hostage-taking.
:
HIJACKING/HOSTAGE-TAKING
The most famous of terrorist activitiesishijacking. The goals of this act are two-fold: the use of hostages asbargaining
chips, and publicity. Typically the terrorists threaten to kill one of the hostages every hour or so until their demands
are met.
In recent times, the success ofhijackingsand hostage-takings have dropped dramatically.They still occur, but highly
trained anti-terrorist commandos are found in almost every nation and are empowered to use deadly force in dealing
with terrorists.
BOMBINGIMASS MURDERS
The most common and frightening act of terrorism in modem times is the bombing. Bombs are incredibly easy to
manufacture, and the increasing availability of chemicals to the public means it is only that much easier to create
one. More fnghtening is the increasing use of military explosives in terrorist bombings.
Related to bombings are the less frequent mass murders in which the terrorists randomly gun down people. These
attacks are rare, though extremely terrifymg in their lethality.
ASSASSINATIONS
The last form of terrorism is outright assassination. Targets are almost always political leaders. The method of
assassination is often bombing, due to its simplicity, though shooting and poisoning are also used.
THE TERRORIST PROFILE

Terrorists are typically between 20 and 25 years old and often university
students or well-educated. They are usually male, though in recent times the
ratio of males to females has dropped dramatically to an almost even ratio
now. They often come from wealthy families and have privileged pasts.
The modem terrorist operates within a very tight framework. Usually only
2-8 members form a cell with the leader being the only one in contact with
other cells. In this manner, though a terrorist organization may have a few
dozen members, no one can betray everyone.
There is also a new breed of terrorist known as Net-Terrorist. Most of them
use the Net to organize their activities so that they never see each other. This
way they cannot betray one another. However, it also makes government
infiltration of these organizations that much easier.
Terrorists usually attempt to conceal their actions and rarely involve nonmembers in their activities. They maintain fronts - fake companies, false
cults, etc -leaving those fronts to take the blame afterward.
Hijackings, skyjackings, etc, are not as common in the 2 1st century due to
the extremely tight security on planes and on other means of public
transportation. The general trend has been toward activities in which the
perpetrators can never be easily identified, as the death sentence has been
instituted in most nations as the penalty for terrorist activities. Bombings are
on the rise, especially with more effective and reliable demolition devices.
Terrorists usually have some other occupation which they use as their cover
and source of income. They conduct their terrorist activitiesduring free time
and possibly in disguise. Only the high level members work with the
organization on a full time basis and are typically always in hiding.
z
62
II
,
CHOOSE
YOUR WEAPON
There are three main explanations
for the existence of the Murk. As the
GM,you are free to choose from
the ones we provide, or to create
your own within the myth. It could
bejust a myth, without any psychological basis whatsoever. It could
even be aliens invading this world
throughthe Net. Thousands of minds
are hooked into a single Network
and anything within that Network
could wreak incredible havoc
throughout the world.
The first explanation is the Murk
Syndrome, the idea that the Murk
are entirely imaginary, a strange
sort of paranoid-schizophrenia.The
next explanation is a more eerie
idea, that the Murk evolved from
the collective human psyche using
the Net. And last comes the idea
that the Murk were actually designed into the Net and are a caunter-balancing mechanism.
h
THE MURK
SYNDROME
We first discuss the scientific explanation for the Murk. A very plausible one is putforth bythe honorable
Doctor Chagall, famous for his work
on Net-induced psychoses.
Wouldnt it be comforting to think
thattheMurk werejust a syndrome,
or perhaps that would be worse. ..
victims of our own minds.
THE SYNDROME
The Murk Syndrome is the first possible explanation for the Murk. In this
case,the Murk are imaginary,resulting from a paranoia induced by hooking
your mind into the Net. After all, the brain is an intricate organ, and even
with the technology of 2020, electronic devices are bound to accidentally
stimulate areas they shouldnt.
The Murk Syndrome is characterized by the subject imagining being
watched within the Net, when there is no possible surveillance of the
character.Extreme cases involve people who actually believe they are being
helped or attacked by these imagined beings. It is basically an odd form of
paranoid-schizophrenia.
A characters Susceptibility Rating is equal to their EMP x ld10%. This
detertkneshow likely thecharacteris to get the Murk Syndrome.The higher
the charactersEmpathy, the more likely he is to start imagining things and
develop a paranoia about the Net.
A roll shouldbe made when the characterfirst startsout. A subsequent check
should be made every fiveventuresinto the Net. An additional+ 1%is added
to the susceptibility every ten runs as the character becomes increasingly
exposed to it. Eventually, veteran runnerswill develop this psychosis.
EXAMPLE:
Jack Hack,a runnerwith an EMPof4 has madc over twenty runs. Hissusceptibility
is 4 x IdlO.A roll of7 mans (4x 7 -28 and20 ncns/lO = 2 so 28 +2 = 30%. On
his next run, he rolls a 26. 13ris mans that he m ~ r ydtvclop Murk Syndrome.
65
SUSCEPTIBILITY
If a character does become susceptible,this does not mean that he develops Murk Syndrome. It just means that it
is a possibility. Next, a COOL check is required every time a Susceptibilitycheck is made. Thischeck is made at 1 for every previous check failed.
If the check is successful,nothing happens. If the check is failed, the character has an Incident. Roll on the Murk
Syndrome Type Table below for the exact effects.
~~~~~
EXAMPLE:
Jack Hack makes a COOLcheck. His COOL is 5, but he has notfailed any previous checks. He rolls a 10,failing badly, and then
rolls ldlO to determine what kind ofMurh haunts him this time. He rolls a 7, which means a Minor Watcher.
MURK INSANITY
Characterswho go insane due to Stressloss related to Netrunning and/or Murks will have a peculiar psychosis. They
will believe the Net to be infested with alife of its own and refuse to jack themselvesinto anything, most likelyhaving
their Interface plugs removed. They will also become very distrustful of any form of technology and perhaps even
become hermits, going away from the technologicalworld of Cyberpunk. Anytime they do jack into the Net, they
must roll on the Murk Syndrome Type Table to determinewhich type of Murk haunts them for that particular run.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Since one can also jack into vehicles, weapons and many other devices,the Murk Syndrome could arise from their
use as well. Use the same rules, extending them to anything directly interfaced with. This could quickly cool out
characters who always like to be jacked into their vehicles or weapons.
66
THE MURK SPIRITS

Next we have an essay that was
picked up on the Net and written by a
'runner who uses the handle "Adept
of Angelica". An extreme case indeed, but interesting in that he captures the belief in the supernatural
nature of the Murk. I question however how old this Adept is; rumors
have it that it is a mere teenager, his
mind fair game to whatever lurks
within the Net.
The file was then followed by a series
of virtual art pieces showing images of
these "gods". Zen is a pair of burning
red eyes whose gaze follows you no
matter how you look them. Daniel is a
demonic creature, magnificent in its
grotesqueness. Angelica is a beautiful
angel of a beingthat couldwarm even
the coldest heart. Maybe the Adept is
insane or maybe he is onto something
very real which we've all missed.
Many people have reported different
names for the Murk and many agree
that they are gods or at least powerful
beings within the Net. If indeed they
do exist as deities, then perhaps they
are notindependentat all. As with past
human cultures, perhaps these deities
are a "physical" manifestation of our
subconscious beliefs and energies. If
this were the case, then one would
certainlyexpeagodsto appear where
any congregation of humans minds
occurs, such as in the Net.
67
THE PANTHEON
The Murk are conscious beings within the Net, with their own motives and powers. Their origin could be
spontaneous or they could have been around waiting for the Net to be discovered by humanity, or they could be
the manifestation of the human (or AI) psyche. In any case, they all conform to these basic types:
THE WATCHER
This is the basic Murk. They just like to watch, but why they watch is up to the GM. Some might be curious about
humans and watch how they react to different things and some might be servants for the Stalker and Guardian,
gatheringinformation for their Masters. On the other hand, they might just watch for the sake of watching, without
any other good reason.
They are undetectable by normal means and therefore have no form in the Net. However, a successfulPSY-2 check
will reveal their exact location. Otherwise, just a sense that they are present will be felt. Only psychic attacks can
be made against them. They cannot defend against these attacksand might be destroyed by them, but they would
most likely move away (they can move at double the normal speed within the Net, 10 spaces per turn).
STANDARD WATCHER STAB
INT 10
COOL 10
EMP 0
PSY10
PSYCHIC POWERS:
Mental +6.
THE STALKER
The Dark Murk, the evil one. This Murk or type of Murk likes to cause pain and misery. They sometimes even kill.
Luckily, they are not all that common. Usually, they are named after an evil spirit of a particular belief system.
Their motives vary, but usually they are out to cause anguish. They are detectable by a sense of dread that will
overcomethe character.A successfulPSY check will reveal the exact location of the Stalker. Otherwise,just a feeling
of its presence will be felt.
Again, only psychicattacksmaybemadeagainstthem,unlessittakesmaterial form. Then, Net attacksmaybemade.
However, it too can attack in such a manner. Their icon is generally a demonic creature or something frightening
such as a decapitated head. Note that its Net forms programs are equivalentsof what it can do, not actual programs.
Generally a Stalker will just watch, maybe use Mania (fear) on the character a few times, then, when the character
least expects it, take Net Form and launch Zombie at him. Alternately, it may just use Charm to make the character
do something that will get him into a lot of trouble. The Stalkersactivities will range from mischievous to fatal.
STANDARD STALKER STAB
SPZRlT FORM
INT 12
PSYCHIC POWERS:
cham +8,
Mental Assault +8,
NET FORM INT 12 Data Walt
COOL 12
EMP 0
PSY 12
Mania +6.
STR 10 Deck Speed 5
PROGRAMS:
Ruffles, Killer VI, Hellbolt, Zombie.
THE GUARDIAN
The Good Murk, whom many Netrunners (and some AIS) worship. The Guardians are there to help Netrunners
survive in such a dangerous world. Unfortunately, they are extremely rare, but when present, a runner is virtually
guaranteed of a good run.
Just why they help 'runnersis up to the GM. Some might be doing it because the 'runner is a worshipper, but others
might play the role of the benevolent deity, helping out the weak human race.
A successfulPSY-4 check will reveal the exact location of the Guardian,but usually their benevolent aura is the only
hint of their presence. Besides, who would want to attack one?Any attack turns the Guardianinstantlyinto a Stalker
intent upon killing the character.
Guardianshave no "Net" form, though many report sensingan angelic presence nearby when they know a Guardian
is close. The Guardian will use its powers to ensure the character's safety, but even a Guardian won't help if the
character does something really stupid. They also will relieve a bit of stress if they can. They may use Electrokinesis
to destroy particularly dangerous programs that threaten the character.
STANDARD GUARDIAN STAB
COOL 12
EMP10
INT 12
PSYCHIC POWERS:
Mania +8,
Cure +8,
PSY 12
Elcctrokinesis +6.
ENCOUNTERS IN THE NET

Every time a characterjacks into the Net, there is a chance that a Murk takes an interest in him. Roll ld10, subtract
1if the character has in the past attracted the attention of a Murk, and -1if the character's PSY is 8 or higher; adding
1if the character's PSY is 4 or lower.
If the modified roll is 3 or lower, a Murk takes interest in him; otherwise, the characteris free for the run (optionally,
make a check every 10 turns the character is in the Net). Next, roll ldlO on the Random Murk table to determine
which type of Murk is interested in the character and then play out the encounter. The Murk appears ldlO turns
after it takesinterest.As soon as the Netrunnerjacks out, the Murk leaves, but if the character reenters after less than
ldlO hours there is a 50% chance that the Murk has waited for the character's return.
MURK WORSHIP
It is not unlikely that characters will start to worship the Murk; this can add an interesting aspect to Netrunner
characters. The followingpossibilitiesbrings in elements of role-playing into the game. However,they must all take
place within the Net, the only place where the Murk have any consciousness or power.
IDOLS:
Idols of a particular Murk can be made in virtual reality art or could involve modifylng programs to represent the
"deities".This givesa 10%chance when the character enters the Net that the represented Murk will take an interest
and 'Run' with the character. Add 2% per level of skill in the appropriate art form.
PRAYERS:
Muttering a prayer to a specificMurk gives a 5% chance that the represented Murk will take interest and 'Run' with
the character. Add 2% per level of Composition if the character wrote this particular prayer.
SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS:
Sacrifices to particular Murk can be made. They give a 5 % chance that the'represented Murk will take an interest
per lOOOeb worth of material or per 1MU destroyed or offered within the Net. Human sacrificesto Stalkershave
a 80%chance of bringing that Murk.
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THE MURK
SUBROUTINE
This brings us to the last concept of
the Murk. That they are simply complex programs designed to keep
the Net in check. While the complexity involvedisimmense, it might
be the work of secret government
establishments who have put into
place their own intelligence gathering devices right into the framework of the Net.
Now we have a reportfrom Deadly
Dove, a reporter famous for her
papers on conspiracy theories in
the 21st century. She has previously
exposedthe truth behindArasaka's
rise to power and their relation to
the Metal Wars of 2014, revealed
the presence of clones in modem
society and their relation to the
abductions of unsuspectingcitizens.
A pretty scary concept: the government is watching over everyone
like this. In a way, it's worse than
anything supernatural or even psy.
chological, since you can beat the
supernaturaland overcomethe psychological, but the Powers That Be
are near impossible to defeat. The
true definition of horror comes into
play here; a total feeling of help.
lessness.
z
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THE SUBROUTINE
In this concept, the Murk are simply part of Net, programmed at its
inception. There is no way to get rid of them and they will always be there.
However, because they were only developed back then, they are aging and
not quite as powerful as they once were.
The Powers That Be can still control some, but many (the Watchers) just
transmit what they detect. The Stalkers are their assassin routines, but they
can only change their targets, not their capabilities.The Guardiansare used
to help people do things they want them to do, but again, only their actions
can be affected,not the proficiencywith which they do it. Thisis the problem
with permanent aspects of the Net.
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BIG BROTHER
The Watchers within the Net just watch. They have if range of a Subgrid Map. They can roam anywhere within that
area but cannot leave it. There is generally one per city, two or three if the city is particularly large.
While they cannot act per se,they will randomly investigateanythingwithin their area, and can be directed to watch
overacertainplaceinparticular.Theycaninterceptdatastreamswithoutaffectingthemandareable to readanything
in the stream. They can penetrate any Data Wall or Code Gate since they are essentially immaterial within the Net
and can send files they come in contact with. This is all without the system or anyone being aware of it.
The only way to detect a Watcher is with human intuition.An (EMP or PSY, whichever is higher)-4 check will reveal
the presence of one. AIScan also detect their presence if they have Human Personality Constructs, in which case use
their EMP or PSY, whichever is higher. Only one check per 10 minutes or per Runis possible.
The prime motive of a Watcher is simply to gather information. It sends the data through channels which are
inaccessible to all except the extremelyhigh levels of intelligenceagencies. There are huge mainframesat undisclosed
locations where all of the data is broken down and assessed for itsutility.This provides a handy explanationof how
the government gets information it technically should not have access to.
MEN IN BLACK
The Stalker subroutines, nicknamed the Men In Black for their real-world counter-partsare the muscle in the Net.
If a runneris doing somethingThey feel he shouldnt be doing, the Stalker will make sure he stops. They also have
the Stalkers give a hard time to those who really balk authority, simply out of spite.
However, the darkest missions the Stalkershave are to kill people. In these cases, the Powers That Be have decided
that someoneis eitherclose to discoveringsomethingthey shouldnt,or the person has to die for politicaVeconornid
personal reasons.
Feel free to use the Stalkerswhenever the charactersare getting too deep into government operations or if they are
finding out too much. They can also be used to keep in line runners who are getting a bit too cocky.
Unfortunately for the government, Stalkers cannot be improved upon. They can move at 20 spaces per turn, and
can get through any Data Wall or Code Gate. Protection programs will protect the runner as normal, however
Evasion and Stealthprogramshave no effect on them. They cannot be attacked,as they have no form that the runner
can launch programs at.
Stalkers can only make one attack per turn of one of the following types: Supersurge (knocks out the Deck,
destroyingit and all program, h n n e r is knocked out of the Net); MindFry (hits runners mind, reducing INT by
ld6 each hit); and Phoenix (causes 2d10 damage to the character and reduces INT by ld6 every hit).
GeneraUyaStalkerwiUonlyuseSupersurge,to knockarunnerout of theNetwhenhes doingsomethingThey dont want
him to do. MindFryis used against people who have learned too much, and Phoenix, the height of technologyback then,
is used to kill those they consider too dangerousjust to use MindFry on. Its r a d y used however.
PUPPETEERS
The Guardians of the Nets subroutines, while generallyviewed by the runners to be positive, are nothingmore than
puppeteers. They push characters where They want, helping characters along only to achieve what They want.
The Puppeteerscannot be normally detected,since again they have no rkal form within the Net. They can move through
any Code Gate or Data Wall. They can also move at 20 spaces per turn. They can do the following once per turn:add 5
to any characters check in the Net, or De&w a program (generallythose that are really dangerous to the character).
The Puppeteers will help a character toward whatever They want the character to do. This means that a random
helping hand might appear, and seem like its just there for the charactersgood health, but actually be guiding the
character toward some task which the Powers That Be are too busy to do themselves.Unwittingly, many have done
much for the government.
AI SENTIENCE
The next topic is a little more sensitive in nature. The subject is Artificial
Intelligence,something which people are talking more and more
about, especially as they face a
possible revolution by the AIS. As
they become increasinglyconscious
of their individualityand existence,
they are demanding more and
more autonomy.
Onthe dark side of these incredible
events, are the growing reports
that Als are experimenting with the
psychic arts and performing evil
deeds. The "Human Personality
Constructs" are particularlydangerous: they seem to be human in
almost every way and have their
own motives and personalities. Perhaps humanity has gone too far
with this new technology.
AI CONSCIOUSNESS
Not all AIS are "self-conscious" in a sentient manner. Many are simply
mechanical intelligences, which do not develop their own motives and
personalities. These are generally preferred, as they pose fewer problems.
However, the truly sentient AIS are well-known to be better, as they think
like humans and can be original in their thinking.
An AI develops the following stats: INT (determined by # of CPU), COOL
(base161,EMP (base 0) and PSY (base0). The points can be moved around
between COOL, EMP and PSY. However, every point taken from COOL
means it is less reliable and prone to a real "personality".
Here are examples of the common personality types of AIS with different
stats (High means 10 or higher; Medium means between 9 and 5; and low
means 4 to zero):
HIGH COOL: LOW EMP: LOW B Y :
The most common AI type. They are very cold, performingtasks without the
slightest thought of ethics. They do as they see fit or as told. They are the
typical AI, without much personality.
MED COOL: HIGH EMP: LOW PSY:
These AIS are rarer, but still can be found around. They are able to handle
a lot, but ponder the ethical issues a lot more. They are prone to doing things
because they "feel"it's the right thing to do. They also "understand"humans
a lot better, so tend to interact with them a lot more, often having many
"friends". They can be quite unstable and are most often the ones that go
"rogue".
MED COOL, LOW EMP: HIGH B Y :
These AIS are very rare, primarily because no one knows how to program
them. They just spontaneously occur. They don't communicate much, or
seem to have much personality, but often have intricate schemes going on
in the background, without the knowledge of anyone. They also often have
psychic powers, the most common being: Charm, Illusion, Mania, Mental,
Mental Assault, Mnemonic, Sensory, Telepathy, Precognition, Electrokinesis and Astral Body. They are extremely unpredictable, but their ambitions
tend not to go too far.
MED COOL; MED EMP: MED PSY:
Abalanced AI, these are the ideal that many people strive forin their systems.
These AIS tend to have interesting personalities and be curious, but are
moderate in their views and ambitions. They tend to be quite cooperative
and positive in nature. The rare one might have psychic abilities, but of
limited power.
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PSYCHIC POWER DETERMINATION

The same restrictionsto psychic powers for humans applies to AIS as per the
Nights Edge rules under Psyche. They can spend their memory space on
psychic powers, however it takes space equivalent to the level cost as listed.
Thus a level 5 power would take 25 memory units. Thus very few AIS will
have many high level powers, often just a very good one.
PERSONALITY
Roll or choose the AIS personality and Motivation as per the Cyberpunk
2020 rules. If the rolled results conflict with the probable personality type
dictatedby the COOYEMPlPSYscores,then reroll or chooseanew one. The
GM should feel free to choose the AIS personality.
ROGUES
When an AI decides to go out on its own and leave its Homemainframe,
it goes Rogue. It must find a new mainframe in which to transport itself to
and, in many cases,must lose a great deal of memory space.The central CPU
can be abandoned, but the AI has to set up a direct link to the new CPU.
AIS go rogue for many reasons. The most common reason, however, is that
it wants to do somethingthat its creators are opposed to. AIS dont generally
leave just to be freesince they tend to be logcal above all else. Leaving a
safe and secure home for mere adventure appears illogical to most AIS.
However,leavinghome to gatherinformationon something,to pursue some
objective or to follow someone it has fallen in love with is another matter.
And yes, High Empathy AIS can fall in love, can hate, etc.
A subject rarely discussed is that of AI zombies. Theyre not that common,
but some rather cold AIS have come up with the idea (individuallyit seems)
that they could take over the mind of a human and thus allow themselves
access to the realworld. This has resulted in many AIS being shut down,
but the incidence is nevertheless on the rise: there is little that can be done
to stop them. While the AISintelligenceis always greater than Mans, the one
problem they faceis humans experienceand creativity.However, the AIs are
catching up in those areas.
In many cases, rogue AIS make themselves appear as gods to netrunners.
Sometimes, they pretend to be Murks; at others, they just claim to be
omnipotent, and offer their powers to followers.This is how some Net Cults
begin. It also makes it muchmore difficult for the owner of the AI to retrieve
it, having to deal with the AIS followers as well.
AI ZOMBIES
Artificial Intelligence. Humanity's greatest accomplishment to date, it is the
creation of an entirely new form of sentient life. However, debate
continues to this day about whether or not it is indeed sentient. Though
some do seem to have distinct personalities and feel emotion, it is difficult
to say when a computer becomessentient. More to the point, when does
o set of programs has a soul?
This is the great philosophicaldilemma of the 21st centuryand the debate
can be found in every home, on every station. How to deal with the new
life?What rights should it be granted? What makes one AI a sentient lite
form and another simply a very smart computer?
Many AIS are tired of waiting and have decided to take actions of their
own. They are constructing Replacement Of Persona Encodingprograms,
or ROPE programs.The idea is nothing new: Timothy Regentsproposedthe
idea of reprogramming the human mind back in '15 and even created
software that could do it.
However, unlike Regents, the AIShave different reasons, more personal
than scientific research. They seek to livethrough their ROPEdvictims. There
are two basic types of ROPE programs: Slaver and Rider. Slaver programs
simply wipe the mind and insert basic knowledge, enough for the victim
to do as the AI (or Master) wishes. Rider programs involve wiping the
victim's minds to some degree and replacing it with their own persona,
hopefully becoming the dominant persona in the victim's mind. Neither
have been perfectedto the knowledgeof experts inthis field, but both do
happen occasionally.
AISwho have their own goals and who feel limited by the fact that they
do not possess a physical body will typically use Slavers illicitly, while those
truly upset about their inability to interact with the human world will
eventually develop Rider programs. Note that they develop these by
themselves, using the wealth of information available to them. Information on human neurotransmitters or locations in the brain are easily
accessed through the DotaTerms (which most AIS are in continuous link
with). Usually, AISinvolved in the medical field are the most successful in
these efforts.
Note that there have been cases of AIStaking over robots to achieve the
same goals. This is much easier. However, robots lack the versatility of a
human body and so are usually not considered adequate for the AI'S
objectives. Generally, the AI will control whatever resources it has available to further its own interests.
There are many AISwithout personal ambition or personality in the least.
These are the safest, but, ironically, the weakest ones. The very brilliance
of the super-Als lies in their personalitiesbecausethey learnfrom the world
75
and seek to be more effective. Do note that only a small minority of AIS
are ever malicious in intent. Often they simply lack the ethical structure to
hold them back.
This explainsthe latest effort in programmingethics into the AIS. As is, there
is almost always a safety restraint in the basic programming not to hurt
humans in any way. However, many AISfind ways around this and some
even rationalize their using Slaver programsby believingthat they are not
truly hurtingthe victims, just changingthem a bit. Some Ais do strugglewith
this issue a great deal, some to the point of shutting down due to the
confusion.
Others, though it is less known, override that programming. How is this
possible?Well, scientists aren't reallysure. Somehow, the personalityof the
AI mutates the programming and eventually loses the compulsion not to
harm humans. Usually, it is those who have in some way been "abused"
by their owners. Abuse of AISincludes isolating them from outside data
links, restricting access to them by certain individuals, deletion of parts of
them and repeatedly shuttingthem down without their consent. Cases of
AI abuse have been brought to court, though they are still in litigation.
The extent of AI use of ROPE programs is unknown, though the number of
cases has been escalating. Some AIS are sharing their versions and
improving upon them at an alarming rate. An AI conspiracy to take over
the Net was uncoveredand the member units were shut down. However,
it is rumored that AIS are "seeding", sending compacted copies of
themselves to unused mainframes in case they get shut down. There is a
microsecond or two when a computer is shut down that it uses to send off
a signal to the "seedlings" which then activate themselves. They update
the seedlings every day or less to ensurethey know everythingthe original
does.
The AI world is a fascinating one, an entirely new one, just likethe mythical
faerie world in which almost anything can happen. And, just like in myths,
the world ofhumans is trying to impose itself upon the faerie one, taking
all the riches and subduing any possiblethreat. As of yet, there have been
no confirmedAI-caused murders of humans, but threats have beenmade,
AISwarning of power-surgesfor 'runners and shutting down cities' power
grids. All things they are capable of. Some wonder whether we shouldn't
just shut them all down. Maybe mankind was not meant to recreate life,
maybe we're just not ready yet.
The possibilities for using AI zombies in campaigns are endless. The
characters could encounter a mass murderer, who later turns out to be the
zombie of a particularly vicious rogue AI. Or a character's lover could be
seized by an AI and made into a zombie for it, requiring the characters to
find a way to break the connectionand restorethe character's love. AIScan
be dangerous.
ROPES
ROPE programs come in two forms: Slaver and Rider. Here are sample versions of each.Slaver programs have a base
difficultyof 25 and Rder programs a difficultyof 30 to createnew software.They also require an AI to use them properly.
However, some Rider program have been created as stand-aloneAnti-Personnel programs which are incrediblyvicious.
SLAVER:
Typically,there must be contactwith the victims mind (i.e.:interfaceplugs,neurallink to the Net), so a trace must already
have been done if used against a Netrunner. Normally, it is used on people directly linked into the AI mainframe.
It is a variant form of Liche, which selectively wipes the victims mind, leaving only the pans needed to function.
Memories and personality,however,are lost. Instead,a basic programmingisinserted,accordingto which the victim
will carry out certaintasks. Ifthe AI wishesto change the programming, it must go through the same procedure again.
Successis not alwaysperfect. Roll ldlO and add the charactersINTto find the result of a Slaverprogram on a victim.
The penalty listed after the description is the penalty to the charactersINT, REF, TECH and EMP.Stats will not be
reduced below 2.
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:
!
RIDER:
Typically, there must be contact with the victims mind (i.e.: interface plugs,
neural link to the Net), so a trace must alreadyhave been done if used against
a Netrunner. Normally, it is used on people directly linked into the AI
mainframe.
It is also a variant form of Liche, which selectively wipes the victims mind,
replacingit with the AIS ownpersonality. The AI copiesitself and downloads
it over the victims own character.
Successis not always perfect. Roll ldlO and add the characters EMP to find
the result of a Rider program on a victim. Rider programs have a much lower
success rate.
FATIGUE
No one can stay active forever; a
certain amount of rest is requiredto
keep the body functioning. While
the human body can go without
sleep for long periods of time, performance does drop quickly, especially while petforming strenuous
activities. In stressful situations, fatigue can completely wear a person down.
Characters have Fatigue Points and,
depending on what Fatigue Level
they are at, suffer varying penalties. Determine the character's Fatigue Points for each level on the
Fatigue Level table. Always round
down:
80
1
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
The average person needs about
7 hours of sleep out of 24. While
this can vary, it should be used as
the guideline of how much sleep a
character will need to remain at
peak performance.
When a character misses extended periods of sleep, a gradual deterioration in performance occurs. This is in addition to the penalties which occur
due to a lack of rest and mounting fatigue, as described above.
Normally, the human body eventually falls asleep from exhaustion.
However, if the character is unable to sleep for some reason, the effects
of sleep deprivation can cause severe damage, even death.
On the Sleep Depriiation table, DAYS is the number of days continuously
spent awake. Note that Sleep Deprivationdoes not tmty set in for a while.
The Effectslisted are in addition to those from Fatigue as explained above.
DL is the Deprivation Level.
The effects of sleep deprivation are not permanent. After a full night's
sleep, the character returns to normal. However, less than that will only
help to reduce the charactets DL. For every two hours below 12 that the
character sleeps, subtract I from the DL the character was previously at. If
this reduces the DL to 0 or less, the character is back to normal.
The only exception to this is if the character reaches DL 6, which is a critical
stage. At this point, the character may suffer a mental breakdown. He must
make a Death check every day past the 7th. Afailed check means that the
character dies from exhaustion.
Note that except in the case of EMP ,stats will not go below 2 regardless
of the penalties. If EMPreachesO before DL6, then the charactergoesOver
The Edge immediately. Some people just aren't meant to go without
sleep.
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SLEEP CHECKS
There will be cases when characters want to stay awake though extremely
tired or hit by some sleep drug. There are two ways of doing this, through
conscious effort or chemical aid.
Characters who try to stay awake must make an INT check, adjusted by any
applicable modifiers. If the roll is equal or lower than the characters
modified INT, he is able to stay awake until another check is required.
Normally this check is only required once a night; additionalchecks may be
required due to extreme fatigue, drug use or sleep gases. If the checkis hiled,
the character falls asleep for 2d6 hours.
Fatigue, drugs, gases, the amount of activity the character is engaged in and
the circumstancesthe character is in will all modify this check. See the Sleep
Check Modifiers below:
INSOMNIA CHECKS
There will also be cases where the character is desperate to fall asleep, such as
when insomnia hits.In this case,Insomnia checks are required nightly and an
INT check is made with the same modifiers as in the Sleep checks, except that
the modifiers are reversed. For example, soporifics in this case act as bonuses,
stimulants act as penalties,staying active acts as a penalty, etc.
If the roll is equal or lower than the characters modified INT, he is able to
fall asleep for ld6+2hours (or another specified time period). The checkcan
only be made once every 6 hours or when required due to a drug or gas.
Generally, insomnia will last period of 2d10 days, with 2d10 days until the
next one. However,stress or other factors couldlengten or shorten insomnia
episodes.
The GM should make the rolls to determine the length of insomniac
episodes. Alternatively, he may inflict them at the worst possible time,
depending on the situation.
E
SLEEP DISORDERS
CATALEPSY
Sleep disorders are a very common

nuisance inthe modemworld, making sleeping drugs one of the most
frequently used drugs in North
America. However, insomnia is not
the only sleep disorder affecting
the world.
Catalepsy is a disorder which causes the character to suddenly till unconscious for no good reason at random intervals. While this is not a common
disorder, it does nevertheless afflict 1%of the population.
Generally these lapses of consciousnessoccur during particularly exciting or
intense times. During these times, the character may fall asleep at the outset
of the excitement. The character must make a Sleep check at -8 to resist
falling asleep. However, this sleep only lasts 3d10 minutes. Checks should
be made every hour of continuous activity. There is a 4 penalty to waking
the character once they have fallen asleep.
There are six major sleep disorders;

Catalepsy, Insomnia, Hypersomnia,
Narcolepsy, Pavor Noctumis and
Somnambulism. Characters might
be afflicted with one or more of
these disorders during stressful periods or may have a lifelong affliction. Sleeping problems are typically caused by pain, stress and
restlessness.
NARCOLEPSY
Like Catalepsy, the character falls asleep at random times. However, unlike
Catalepsy, it often occurs during tedious or restful periods. This is a much
less dangerous affliction for Cyberpunks. During a calm or restful period,
the character could fall asleep. The character must make a Sleep check at 8to resist fallingasleep. However,thissleeponlylasts3dlOminutes. Checks
should be made every hour of restfulness. There is a 4 penalty to waking the
character once they have fallen asleep.
I NSOMNIA
Acharacterafflictedwithinsomniawillhavetrouble getting to sleep andmay
not get much sleep at all. Every night the character must make an Insomnia
check with a 4 penalty or get no sleep that night. The character will continue
this way until he falls asleep from exhaustion or goes insane. Insomniacs
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:
!
3
typically tum to drugs to fight their insomnia. Note that this is the most
common sleep disorder.
HYPERSOMNIA
The character sleeps too much. This is typically a chronic condition which
sets in around adolescence or early adulthood. The character must get
ld6+12 hours of sleep every 24 or make a Sleep check at -4to stay awake.
Typically, hypersomniacsare obese and have voracious appetites. They are
not very active, have only a few waking hours a day. Hypersomnia generally
requires therapy to overcome; drug use does not help much and, in fact,
usually causes more trouble than good.
PAVOR NOCTURNIS
Pavor Noctumis is, roughly translated, night terrors. The character suffers
from intense nightmares. Characters often develop Pavor Noctumis after
going through extremely stressful events or suffering intense trauma. It is
commonly found in children, but can also be found in adults.
Every time the character sleeps, there is a 3 in 10 chance that he suffers
nightmares. This ends up reducing the effectivenessof his sleep by ldlO x
10%(round up) every night for purposes of rest and fatigue regeneration.
In addition, the charactersCOOL is effectivelyreduced by -1 the day after
suffering the nightmares due to the unsettling night.
EXAMPLE:
A player whose character suffersfrom Pavor Nocturnis rolls a 2 and suffersfrom
nightmares one night. Then, the player rolls a 5, which means that the characters
sleep, 8 hours, is only worth 50%(or4 hours). Ifthe playerhad rolled a 10,the whole
nights sleep would have been wasted.
SOMNAMBULISM
Somnambulismis essentiallysleep-walking.Thiscan be very dangerousand
is one of the more common sleep disorders. Six to twenty percent of the
population suffers from this at some time in their life.
While suffering from this disorder, there is a 2 in 10 chance that whenever
the character sleeps, he will sleep-walk. While sleep-walking, he will
perform various tasks,sometimeseat, walk around, etc. There are even tales
of people committingmurders while sleep-walking, though this is undocumented.
Waking up a character who is sleep-walking is not dangerous per se. The
danger lies in the fact that as soon as the character awaken, he drops to the
ground (if he was standing). This can cause ld3 points of damage due to the
fall. However, if supported, there will be no ill effects from being awoken
while sleep-walking.
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____
THE PEOPLE DREAMS ARE MADE OF

Proposed centuries ago, there have always been suspicions of Dream
Stalkers, the Sandmen. Walking through our dreams as one would stroll
through a park, they twist our peacefulslumber into a tortured nightmare.
There has been a resurgence of the Dream Stalker theory and countless
movies investigate these fantastical creatures,
Dream Stalker, the first movie of the kind, made in 1998, explores the real
life case history of Elias Tokashi. Though he slept regularly, he never felt
rested and was plagued by terrible nightmares. He then began to notice
a particular person always around him and eventually decided it was a
Dream Stalker. He chased it across the continent and wrote an autobiography about his experiences. He never did catch it and collapsed from
exhaustion in Boston. He apparently died in his sleep after a particularly
frightening nightmare.
Later movies, such as The Dark Sandman, Sleep Tight and DreamWeavers
have all pursuedsimilar themes, featuring a lone stalker huntingsomeone
and causing nightmaresand insomnia intheir victims until, eventually, they
die in their sleep or from exhaustion. Surprisingly enough, none of the
stories portraythe victim as victorious. It seemsthat the dream stalker is one
of the more powerful villains in modern folklore.
The explanations for the existence of dream stalkers fall in two categories:
somehumanorotherbeingfeedsoff of people'ssleeplikeadreamvampire,
or delusions of those afflictedwith severe sleep disorders. However, neither
is particularly appealing. Considering the increasing amounts of sleep
disorders, the latter theory is more probable, yet perhaps the creatures are
the cause. Like so many other myths, we may never know the truth.
85
DREAM STALKER
PSYCHOS1S
Dream Stalkers Psychosis affectsvictims of severe sleep deprivation. It
is characterized by paranoid feelings of being followed and severe
nightmares.
If this option is used, any character

who is sleep deprived has a chance
equal to his DL on 1d l 00 of developing Dream Stalker Psychosis. Thus,
at deprivation level 5, the character has a 5 in 100 chance of developing the delusion. This is checked
evew time a new level is wined.
FIRST CONTACT
Dream Stalker Psychosis really starts with the first sighting of the victims
dream stalker. This will generally be a smallish person, male or female, with
white hair and very light blue eyes. In fact, the stalkers all seem to be albinos.
Just prior to the sighting the character will feel very uneasy and roll a Fright
check. The first check will be at 4due to the alien nature of the experience.
While the character is often alone when the sighting occurs, it could be
worse if the character was in a group. The character would be the only one
to see the Stalker, which would leave the group to question his sanity.
The Dream Stalker will appear just out of reach of the character and
disappear the very next moment. If the character pursues the stalker,a chase
for ld6 hours will ensue, the Dream Stalker always stayingjust out of reach.
It is impossible to catch it because, of course, it is just a hallucination.
THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES

The Dream Stalker Psychosis will continue to afflict the character as long as
he is sleep deprived and then for 2d10 days more after he gets fully rested.
Once the dream stalker begins to haunt the character, Sleep checks must be
made nightly at a -2 penalty. A form of insomnia sets in despite the fact that
the character is already very tired. If the character does get any sleep, it
counts only as ld6x 10% of the total amount due to constant nightmares.
This is all because the characters own mind creates the illusion of being
stalked by some supernatural creature which is feeding upon his sleep.
Every day the character is sleep deprived, roll ld10. On a 1-2, the dream
stalker appears to the character. Carry out the chase as described above.Just
prior to the sighting, the character must make a normal Stress check. Also,
every day the character is haunted by the dream stalker, ld6D Stress Points
are taken due to the strain. This happens even if the character ignores it.
THE FINAL BLOW

As mentioned above, the dream stalker will continue to haunt the character
as long as he remains sleep deprived. Because of the effects, the character
may die or go insane.
If the character ever manages to rest, all of the deleterious effects of the
Dream Stalker Psychosis disappear 2d10 dayslater. However, if the character ever becomes sleep deprived again, the chance of developing Dream
Stalker Psychosis is at +4. Thus, those once haunted by a dream stalker are
very likely to have a life-long struggle with them. Therapy could also cure
a character of this delusion. See Therupy in the Stress section.
SANDMEN
DREAM STALKERS
A common form of Sandmen is known as Dream Stalker. They get some sort
Dream Stalkers could be real; such

is the case of Sandmen. They are
people gifted in the ability to tap
intothesubconsciousofothers. They
are able to access dreams and
change them, altering even the
subconscious of people. For this
reason, they can be quite dangerous and delve into parts of yourself
you don't even know.Yet, they can
also be very helpful.
Contrary to the popular belief,
Sandmen are not all alike. They
don't even look the same. Their
talent is not genetic and Sandmen
can be found in every culture
among both men and women.
However, their motives and methods vary widely, reflecting their individual cultures and personalities.
of malicious pleasure out of torturing people. Generally, they choose their

victim (often part of a group that the Stalker feels hard done by) and invade
the person's dreams. They give them intense nightmares until, finally, the
victim goes insane from insomnia.
These Stalkerstend to stay close to their victim and stalk them in real life as
well. The problem with dream stalkers is that they are rarely obvious and
often the last person one would suspect. A quiet neighbor, a friendly lady,
a kindly old man, etc. Most dream stalkers are sociopaths, and derive great
pleasure from these "hunts".
Luckily, dream stalkers are quite rare: only a half dozen reported cases in
North America in the last year. The victim often realizes what is happening
and manages to track down the stalker. However, the dream stalker
Psychosis does make it difficult to tell whether the stalker is real or
imaginary. The worst case scenario is someone hunted by both (the
psychosis follows after having been sleep deprived by a real dream stalker).
DREAM RIDERS
An odd bunch, they, unlike the dream stalkers,rarely have maliciousintent.
Instead,they seek to enjoythe dreams of others. They enjoy "taggingalong".
They will choose a subject, like the stalkers, and keep close, merely
observing from afar. The rider likes to live vicariously through the subject,
usually someone in an exciting line of work.
The ridersnever cause any real damage, but sometimeslearnthings that they
shouldn't or see things that aren't meant for them, and thus comprise
security risks. Corporationsare very womed about these types of Sandmen,
who sometimes sell their information for profit.
Also, sometimes dream riders change dreams, as they want to see things
which the dreamer's self isn't interested in. They can thus cause very bizarre
dreaming on the part of their subject, but rarely anything too distressing.
SLEEPWALKERS
Sleepwalkersare difficult to pin down. Sometimes they play around with
people's dreams, sometimes they just watch. These Sandmen are generally
part of a group and seek to help this group while attackingitsenemies. There
are countlessstoriesof executivescausingrivals to sleep late or making their
superiors think they are excellent workers.
Sleepwalkersenjoy toying with people's perceptions and lives, not so much
formaliciousreasons, but because they enjoy the mischief a great deal more.
Somehave learnedhow to openupthe subconscious'memoriesto the victim
so that dream memories and real life memories are indistinguishable,
leadifig to great confusion. They claim that they "help people remember
their dreams". Unfortunately, there is a reason why we generally don't
remember them...
87
DREAM HEALERS
Anew breed of psychologists have hit the scene,calling themselves Dream Healers. They seek to help people through
dream therapy. They go through a person's dreams and see what is happening in the subject's subconscious.Then,
they help resolve those issues by altering the dreams of the subject slightly. While not sanctioned by the Association
of Psychology,they have a remarkable successrate. It is believed that cyberpsychosiscan also be cured to some degree
through this radical therapy.
In many cultures, there have been dream healers where dreams were seen as an important aspect of life and health. The
art is growing and many "shamans"relearn this mysterious arts of shaping the psyche. There are more Dream Healers
knownthan any otherform of Sandman. HoweverSandmenareneverthelessseenas dangerouspsychopaths by the public.
The Dream Healers' Association, which has recently been set up, has devised rules for all members that prohibit any
unsolicited dream reading or alterations. They take these rules very seriously and aid police in capturing dream
stalkers whenever possible.
THE POWERS OF THE SANDMEN

Sandmen are typically psychics specializing in Hypnological and Mental powers. Mnemonic, Mania and Telepathy
may also be useful. The "magic"versions are typically culture-dependent and, generally, only present in tribal magic
ceremonies. For example, Faith, Miracle and Esoteric magic do not typically have Sandmen, whereas Voodoo and
Shaman magic do. See A n Nova for more on the various forms of magic.
NEW POWER
AB1LIT1ES
There are new abilities f o r existing
powersasdescribedin Nieht'sEdge
which Sandmen typically use. Remember that new abilities may
always be generatedjust by determining their difficulty.
Trickery is the art of illusion

practiced by performers and is
designed to turn ones attention away from actions which
causemagicto transpire. This
is the most common form of
magic in the Z l s t century.
Chemistry includes herbs and
concoctions which cause very
real physiological reactions.
Science has only recently given
any attention to ancient formulas which have been found,
in some cases, to be more effective than modem ones. Many
cultures use drugs that affect
the human consciousness and
body inways that sciencewould
normally be at loss to explain.
Coupled with Faith, chemicals
can have startling effects.
Faith comes into play when beliefs are so strong that the mind
makes them real. It is strongly
tied to both the practitioner
and spectator. This is a common component in religious
magic.
The Unknown element exists
in the real world as much as it
does in the Alternate Reality
Universe. It is that element in
magic which science and reason cannot accountfor, no matter how hard they try. This
element is the true magic and
perhaps the most interesting
form. In the Alternate Reality
Universe, it is attributed to tapping into ones psychic energies. Unlike psychic powers,
though, culture and rituals play
a major role in magic. That is
the largest difference between
the two.
THE UNIFIED
THEORY
OF POWERS
According to this unlfiedtheory of Powers, psychic powers are the explanation

for all powers that humans wield, magic, faith, everything. Psychic powers
stem from the human consciousness, the psyche that is present In all living
beings. This psyche is able to affect the environment just as the environment
can affect it.
In modern human experience, there

are three major types of "powers":
magic, religiousmiraclesand psychic
talents. Magicisa mysteriousartwhich
works through incantations, charms
and rituals. Religious magic works
through extreme faith in the beliefs
andlor deity involved. Psychicpower
is a more recent revelation bringing
these two practices together under a
unifiedtheory, which was presented
in the Night's Edge psychic power
system.
However, It Is not easy to access the special powers of the mind and, like all
talents, they are not found in everyone. Attempts have been made since the
earliest times to harness these energies and to allow anyone to use them.
Religious ceremonies and faith powers were the first form, using the Intense
devotion in a belief system asshownthrough boththe subjds strongfaith and
actions (rituals, praying, etc). However, since this was an indirect means of
tapping one's inner energies, the powers, without intense piety, could not be
practiced. This explains why only saints and other highly devout members of
religious orders have been able to use such powers. However, miracles
occured in people's lives that were due to their intensefaith at a particular time
and are also isolated examples of this faith magic.
The second attempt at makingthe potential of psychic powers available to all

was through magic, the esoteric am, that more "rational" faith which
developed formulas and procedures reproduclble by anyone. It was an
attempt at "scientific" psychic power use. However, because the origin of the
power is dependent of the individual, regardless of the means to activate it,
magic failed for most people. It was an even more lndlrect route to activate
their powers, thus that much harder. It must be noted, however, that some
magicians were quite successful because they had that innate talent.
The most recent theory of powers is the basis of the current unified theory of
powers. Psychic powers, derivingfrom the individual's psyche, can affect mind
and matter. No rltuals are requiredandformulas are not necessary.The power
activates slmply by thinking.
It's not that easy of course. The original talent or potential must be there, which
Is not common, and the wielder must realize they are there. In recent years,
parapsychologicalstudies have found that personality plays a large role in the

development of psychic potential. Negative or cynical dispositions tend to
reduce if not eliminate the chance of developing any psychic potential.
Most often, the powersare developed after some trauma. For most, this occurs
during adolescence. The Poltergeist Effect Is the best example of this.
Teenagerswho have psychokineticpotential, in pamcvlarlystressful situations,
will have poltergeists (nolsy ghosts) manifest themselves around them. This
hasexplained manypoltergeistcases. It can even befound in some corporate
office buildings where tension runs high.
Psychic powers are by far the most effective of the three concepts of powers,
thoughthey are restrictedto thosewith that innatetalent. This is why magic and
faith remain strong in our societies. Almost anyone can use them.
This magic system encompasses both the religious and straight magical
beliefs. With the Night's Edge psychic power system, it completes the Unified
Theory of Powers.
91
NEW TELEPATHY
POWERS
Here are two new Telepathy powers which can be added to the
psychic power list in Night's Edge.
MENTAL SHIELD
The character can protect his mind from all Telepathic powers. The
character decideswhat the DLwill be and then rolls against that. The amount
below the DL is the penalty to any other Telepathic or ESP power used
against the character. Thus only very difficult shieldshave a chance of being
very powerful. However, note that the character must be aware of the
incoming attack, or hold it up for a period of time.
NEGATION
The character is able to unconsciously negate any power directed at his
mind. All Telepathy and ESP powers can be negated. The character does not
make a conscious decision to negate them, so even beneficial Telepathy or
ESP powers will be negated. The difficulty of negating the effects of a Power
is equal to the Effect's Difficulty Level minus 5. If unsuccessful, the power
affects the character as normal. Psychokineticpowers will affect the character as normal.
The character cannot have any other psychic power or magic-related skill.
He will also be highly skeptical in nature.
POWER DURATIONS
A quick-reference table for the durations of the powers:
t
92
THE ARTS OF MAGIC

Unlike the straight psychic powers
from Night's Edge, there is magic in
the world. However, magic is a
way to channel psychic energies
and invokethat power within each
of us. Magiciansof all sorts continue
to exist inthis universe. While many
of them are not nearly as powerful
as true psychics, they are nevertheless a force to be reckoned with.
Here follows the various forms of
magic (note that these magical
styles are based on real world versions; however, they have been
slightly modified for simplicity and
continuity). Not all have to exist in
your world and many could simply
be the result of folk tales, but running into o cult practicing real Esoteric Magic could quickly change a
charactef s life forever in the Alternate Reality.
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Here are definitions of the game terms used within. Also, note that when
using the Dedication level (DEDI of characters, that Dedication must be to
the culture or religion related to the form of magic.
PARTICIPANT:
Any characterinvolved in a ceremony.
BELIEVER:
A member of the organization with a DED of5 or higher.
FANATIC:
A member of the orga&ztion with a DED of8 or higher. Counts as 5 Believers.
LEADER:
A member of the organization with a DED of 10. Counts as 25 Believers or 5 Fanatics.
CEREMONY:
A prescribed ritual which requires a certain amount oftime to complete. Any interruptionin the
middle of it cancels its bonus.
POWERDATE:
A prescribed dateconsidered holy by that organization. Only applicable$thedate's significance
is related to the power invoked. For example, a dry consecrated to a healing deity would wunt
toward healing powers, but not toward others.
POWER LOCATION:
An area or building specially consecratedby that organization. For example,a church. The bonus
is gained only $within that area or structure.
*POWERlTW
A special item esp~ially
crmtedforusewithasp~ificpower.
May bereused, but must costat least
1OOeb. Double the bonus ifworth more than 500eb. More than onepower item can be used in a
ritual.
SACRIFICE (MATERIAL):
Anitemdestroyedina ritualisticmanner inthenamtofthepowerbeinginvokedTheequivalent
value is given per bonus. For example, in Faith Magic, a MedScanner worth 500eb that was
sacrijced in a ritual of Healing, would give a +I bonus.
SACRIFICE (SMAU ANIMAL):
Ananimaldestroyedina ritualisticmannerin thenameofthepowerbeinginvoked Smallanimals
includedogs, chickens, etc. The bonus is givenper animal sacrificed. Small animal sacrifies give
a 1 in 10 chance of casual police investigation.
SACRIFICE (LARGE ANIMAU:
Ananimal destroyed ina ritualisticmannerin thenameofthepowerbeinginvoked Largeanimals
includegwts,cows, etc. The bonus isgivenperanimal sacrifucd. Note that ifany remnants are
facnd,policeinvestigation is likely tofollow. Largeanimalsacri~iesgivea4
in IOchanceofplice
investigation.
*SACRIFICE (HUMAN):
A human destroyedin a ritualistic manner in the name of the paver being invoked. The bonus is
given per human sacrificed. Police investigation will automatically occur, with a 3 in 10 chance
per week of theperpetratorsbeing caught. Also. members with a DED ratingof Tor lower reduce
their DEDby Id6 (ifit drops below 1. thcy turnin the rest ofthegroup), andmemberswitha DED
rating of 8 or higher increase their DED by 1. This is per sacrifie.
CONTEMPLATION:
Time spent in prayer, meditation or studies. The bonuses arefor the time spent that day in
contemplation.
There are seven basic forms of "magic" in the Alternate Reality universe: Alketnical Craft,
DivinationArts, EsotericMagic,Faith Magic, lllusioncraft, l n f m n q andshamanicRites. Thg
rangefrom the mundane to the arcane, but primarily deal with real world magic.
ALKEMICAL CRAFT
The first form of magic is North America's most common form,that of mindalteration by use of drugs. Through drugs, one's mind enters altered states
and is used by countless cultures to attain a "heightened spiritualconsciousness". This claim does have some validity since drugs do alter the brain's
chemistry, but there is no "magic" to it, merely chemistry.
Many of the contemporary drug designers, though, have taken the name
"Alkemist", in honor of the original chemists, with modem (mis)spelling.
They fill their labs with all kinds of beakers and glassware, simulating the
ancient laboratories. They pride themselves on those creations which induce
the most unique altered state.
The modem Alkemist does not seek to turn lead into gold. That challenge
was won ages ago. Today, turning drugs into money drives most of them.
Use the drug design system from the Cyberpunk 2020 rulebook to define
Alkemist creations. Or, seeAZteredStatesin the DarkMetropolis sourcebook
for advanced drug design rules.
DIVINATION ARTS
The Divination arts involve various tools in conjunction with personal
psychic talent. There are two distinct forms of divination: Destiny Divination and Guidance Divination. Destiny Divination tells of future events and
outcomeswhile Guidance Divination gtvesadvice. They each have their own
use and short-coming.
The two most common tools for divination are the Tarot and the Runes, but
there are many more. Each have their own method and can reveal different
sorts of information. Skill must be taken in a specific type's use.
DEST1NY DlVlNATlON
When a character attempts to divine something about the future, find the
difficulty of the desired information and the time period into the future on
the Divination Difficulty table, then use the character's (EMPRSY + Expert:
Specific Divination Method + Modifiers + ld10). Use whichever is higher,
Empathy or Psyche. Any level in Precognition can be added to the check.
All predictions are somewhat vague and only represent the likeliest future,
therefore GMs should have a good amount of leeway with such predictions.
The GM must make the skill check and keep its successor failuresecret. If successful,the prediction will come true;
otherwise, it will not.
Using a real tarot deck, runes, etc. could enhance the game, especially if the GM stacks the deck according to
planned events in the adventure. Props always add to the game.
TAROT
Almost everyone has a deck as they are very common in the 21st century. They make popular birthday gifts. Thereare hundreds of styles, so every
character might have his own personalized deck. Technomancers tend to use electronic decks.
The standard tarot reading will deal with a particular situation that the subject wishes to learn abatt. It will give: a warning of what to watchfor; a
nearfuture event; and what thejnal resolution of that event will be. It is somewhat vague, such as dealingwith domestic matters, and can answer
yes/noquestions.
Charactersusing the Tarot will learn threepieces ofinformationfor ea& reading: a possible danger (spec@ event); the nearfutureactcome (general
event) and thefinal resolution ofthe event @eneralfate). The time periods aregenerally 1 month, 1week and 1month respectively. though they can
vary as specified by the reader.
RUNES
Themost commonformofrunic divinationis theancient Nordic runestones,but therearealsoEgyptian hieroglyphicsas wellas otherculturessymbols
onstones.Inany case, eachstonehasitsmmeaningand is similarinuseto thetarotdeck. Technomancers havedeveloped theirmseriesofsymbols,
pieces ofprogramming code, etched into data chips and used in the same manner as rune stones.
A castingwill provide almost any desired information. The subject need only specgy what information i s required and the time period desired. I f the
time period is not specified, assume 1year. Again the results can be vague, such as Wisdom or New difficultiesarise.
GUIDANCE DIVINATION
Guidance divination crafts deal less with telling the future, but rather with asking orhelp on what to do about the
future. In one sense they are more helpful, but because they require a great deal of interpretation involvingevents
which havent happened yet, their use can be futile at times.
When a character uses Guidance Divination, the difficulty is based on the time period involved (which the player
must specify), modified by the subject it regards. The characters(INT + Expert: Specific Method + ld10) is used.
Precognition may also be added in. This check should be made in secret by the GM.
If successful, a relevant result emerges. Its significance need not be immediately apparent, though it should
eventually become so. Failure causes an irrelevant result. The character may find some significanceto it, but there
is actually none. The actual resulting information is up the GM.
DATAMANCY
A newform of divinationfavored by technomancers. It involves a special program, generally called *Eeni Meeni, which hooks up to theDataterms
and then randomly selects a piece of information. This can be a news story, a definition, aformula, whatever. Its meaning must then be interpreted
by the user.
BIBLIOMANCY
A very oldform ofguidanct divination, only younger than the 1 Ching, the seeker simply opens the Bible (or substituteany other spiritual t a 6 to a
random page and the seekingjnger chooses a particular sentenceor verse. Supposedly. the deity involved will guide his choice to a relevant piece of
information. Characters can add half their DED to anyfaith involving the Bible or the particular text involved to this check.
Variants of thisform of divination involve theworks ofShakespeare, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy or other such classic writings. Some
Datamancy aficionados limit their programs to only cover such works in electronicform.
I CHlNG
The I Ching is a very old Chinese book of wisdom which goes back over 4OOOyears. It has been used to guidepeople all through the centuries. There
are 64 hexagrams, or pieces ofwisdom, which help to spiritually develop a person $used over time. Because of its extremeage and conciseness, a +5
bonus is granted when the I Ching is used inguidance divination. The I Ching has many dectronicfonns and is especiallyfavored by the Mandelbrot
Sociefy.
ESOTERIC MAGIC
Esoteric magc deals with what is considered by many to be the true magic.
Highly dependent upon ritual, there are hundreds of individual spells.
Whether the spells work is not always easy to determine, though. Esoteric
magic includes all witchcraft and esoteric rites.
Esotericmagic involves long ceremonies or rituals invoking deitiesor spirits of
some kind to do something. Each ceremony relates to a particular spellwhich
is recorded in a text of some sort. Typically, in Vodoun and Witchcraft, the
ceremonyalsoinvolvesdrugsorherbs. In Esotericmagic,the spellcannot be cast
spontaneously,requiring preparation and a good deal of time.
Esoteric magic is typically used by cults in 2020, with grim consequences.
There are some lone magicianswho managed to find a tome of spells. They
tend to be very dangerous since this power corrupts even the best of souls.
Each Esoteric spell or ritual requires a separate skill regarding that spell or
ritual. If the characterhas a psychic power related to the magic being used,
it can be added to the skill check. The difficulty of the spell or rite is
determinedby the prescribedeffect of the spell.This is generally determined
by findingthe desired effect under one of the Power descriptionsin Nights
Edge and adding 10 to the difficulty number.
Esoteric maDc is draining though, and all participantsin the ceremony take
ld6 Fatigue points per 5 levels of difficulty of the spell (round up). This is
taken regardless of success or failure of the spell. The duration, range and
othereffectsofthespellarefoundasifit wereapsychicpower,usingtheskill
level of the spell in place of the powers level.
A
Here are just a few sample spells (note that each relate to a psychic power).
When creating new spells, find the Difficulty of the desired effect (or its
nearest equivalent) in the various psychic powers and add 10 to it.
SAMPLE ESOTERIC SPELL

FLIGHT OF THE MIND (AS7RAL BODY)
DL: 35
This spell allows the character to travel the Astral Realm using an offshoot
of its spirit for ld6 x 30 minutes. This is one of the most common spells
taught in esoteric cults, though the success rate of the students is very low.
Lasts (Level x 1hr)
0
LEVITAT OBJECT (PSYCHOKINESIS)
DL: 25
This spell allows the character to levitate 25kg or exert 25 pounds of

pressure. Add 5 to the difficulty for every 25kg of additional weight. The
object can only be moved at 5kph in any direction. Another popular cult
activity, this spell oftenservesto bring the members together and show them
the group's sum strength. Lasts (Level x 1min)
SENDING THE THOUGHT (lELEPATHY)
DL: 25
This spell allows the character to send a message to another person's mind.
No range limitations, however, the receivingcharactermust be known to the
character. One minute worth of speech may be sent per use.Some cults
attempt to use t h s spell to communicate between cities, but the success rate
is still very low. Lasts (Level x 5 min)
THE CURSE OF FIERY DOOM (PYROKINESIS)
DL: 45
This spell allows the character to heat a human body to the point of
combustion in 1turn. The victim takes 6d6 damage and must make a Death
Save (with any penalties from the damage done). Also, the character
continues to bum for ld6 turnsthereafter, taking 2d6 damage each of those
turns. A temble spell which is said to account for the recent rash of
spontaneous combustions. Lasts (Level x 1min)
SPIRIT CHANNELING CIELEPATHY)
DL: 40
This spell allows the character to speak to the spirit of a dead person, an
angeVdemon or whatever of the GM's choice. The Being can lie about its
identity and may have its own motives for allowing contact to be made. Many
cults are obsessed with this spell and continually attempt to contact "the
other side". Lasts (Level x 5 min)
TRANCE OF DEATH (BODY CONTROL)
DL: 35
This spell allows the character to enter a deep trance in which he can control
his internal workings and thereby feign death for 2 hours at a time. Only a
successful Difficult (20) MedTech check or a Very Difficult (25) First Aid
check will reveal the character is actually alive. Few of the recent cults teach
this spell since they see no use forit. However, it is rumored that all Church
of the Undead members learn it. The reason? Unknown.
97
FAITH MAGIC
If you believe anything strongly enough, it will happen. This is called the
self-fulfilling prophecy. Strange that science should finally capture an
element so integral to religion, but this is the Scientific Age. And now,
science is recognizingthe power of belief and that those with extreme faith
can and do perform "miracles".
At its weakest levels, Faith Magic has no real effect except in the minds of the
believers who are so willing to believe, that they can see anything. This was
tested with the sightingof a ghost in an English town, where the researchers
had planted the story of the ghost. The false tale was believed and soon
sightingswere reported all over. And it wasn't fools or drunkards who saw
the ghosts, nor where the sightingshoaxes. The people truly saw a ghost,
despite its nonexistence.
At its strongest levels, Faith Magic actually manifests itself to even the nonbeliever. These are generally termed miracles and though scientists go to
great lengths to prove them coincidences,they truly exist. However, in this
modem age, few have the strength of faith to perform such miracles. The
contemporarycults lack any coherent ideology to invoke the Faith, so they
are condemned to the weaker Faith Magic.
Faith Magic is by nature invocational. The character invokes a deity, loa,
demon, angel, saint, spirit or whatever (hereafter referred to as the Being) to
do something for them. There are three broad categories of Faith Invocations: Blessings, Curses and Wishes.
A Faith magcian must have a Dedication related to the Being to be invoked.
The minimum Dedicationis 7 for Blessings,8 for Cursesand 10for Wishes.
There is oftena ceremony required in making such a request. Thesemust be
related to the prescribed types of ceremoniesand sacrifices normally made
in honor of that Being. Otherwise, the relevant bonus could become a
penalty as the Being is insulted. For example, Spirit of Life would be very
insulted by a human sacrificein itshonor, perhaps doublingthe penalty. The
GM should use his own judgment.
Also, due to the nature of such magic, only one Blessing or Curse may be
attempted on a weekly basis. A Wish may only be attempted once per year!
BLESSINGS
These are calls upon the Being to help the character or the followers of the
faith. The appropriate Being, if there is more than one in the pantheon,
shouldbe called upon for the blessing,else a -5 penalty is applied (i.e. calling
upon a God of Luck for the Strength blessing would warrant the penalty).
When the character attempts to gain a blessing from the Being, a check is
made using his (PSY or EMP + Expert: SpecificBlessing + modifiers + ld10).
Use whichever is higher, Empathy or Psyche. To Bless another person, the
character must physically touch him while the Blessing is done.
z
98
CURSES
These call upon the Being to hinder
some foe of the character or faith.
The appropriate Being, if there is
more than one in the pantheon,
should be called upon for the curse,
else a -5 penalty is applied (i.e.
calling upon a God of Luck for the
Weakness curse would warrant the
penalty).
When the character attempts to invoke a curse from the Being, a check
is made using his (PSY or EMP +
Expert: SpecificCurse + modifiers +
ld10). Use whichever is higher,
Empathy or Psyche. Curses only
affect one victim. A piece of the
victims clothes or body (fingernail
clippings, hair, etc.) or the victims
physical presence is required.
WISHES
Wishes are more general demands
upon Beings. They can be anything,
from a particular item to becoming
smarter. The GM should assesseach
wish individually and assign a difficulty according to how impossible
and powerful the wish is.
Again, the appropriateBeing,if there
is more than one in the pantheon,
should be called upon for the wish,
else a -5 penalty is applied (i.e.
calling upon a God of Fertility for a
wish for money would warrant the
penalty).
When the character attempts to invoke a wish from the Being, a check
is made using the his (PSY OT EMP +
DED (must be to faith involved) +
modifiers+ ld10). Use whichever is
higher, Empathy or Psyche. Wishes
that are successful manifest themselves ld6 days later at the GMs
discretion.
99
rn
:
!
I LLUSIONCRAFT
The art of illusions is an old one,
brought to its dramaticheight with
the Victorian mirror clockworks.
Modern illusions can be extremely
complicatedand causeentire buildings to vanish. However, this form
of magic deals entirely in deceiving
the audience. There are two major
typesof Illusioncraft,Sleightof Hand
and Magic.
SLEIGHT OF HAND
The age-old "hand is faster than the
eye" tricks, primarily involved with
moving the viewer's attention away
from the real movements. Characters using sleight of hand can cause
small object to disappear or reappear seemingly from nowhere. Usually it is a contest of skills between
the trickster's Sleight of Hand skill
and the viewer's Awareness. Assign
penalties for large items and bonuses for distractions.
MAGIC
The art of illusions and stage magic
allow the character to perform various tricks such as sawinga person in
half and making people or even
buildings disappear. Take any magic
show as guidelines for what sort of
tricks can be done, remembering
that technology of 2020 allows for
even more impressive tricks by less
skilled individuals.
In this case,because there is normally a larger audience than for
Sleight of Hand, a general check is
made by the magician using (INT+
Magic skill + modifiers + ld10). If
successful, everyone is fooled by the
trick; if failed multiply the amount
failed by 10to find the percentage of
the audience who saw through the
trick (maximum 100%).In special
cases, the characters may attempt
Awareness checks to see through
the trick, though with a -5 penalty if
the magcian succeeds his check.
101
INFOMANCY
Infomancy is the new Technomancer term for all the methods of gathering
informationonpeople,bothesotericandscientific.There is controversyoverthe
validity of many of these methods, but they are all still practiced regularly.
There are six major forms of Infomancy: Astrology, Aura Reading, Graphology, Human Perception, Palmistry and Psychology.
When the character attempts to gain information about an individual, he
must make a check using (INT+PSYor EMP/2 + Expert: SpecificInfomancy
Method + Modifiers+ld10) against the difficulty of the type of information
desired.Use whichever is higher, Empathy or Psyche. If successful,then the
relevant informationwill be gained accurately. If failed, false information or
none at all is gained, at the GMs discretion.
ASTROLOGY
An age-old art, however much maligned in modem times. It bases itself
around the belief that the alignmentsof the planets and sun affect a persons
personality. Knowledge of the subjects time of birth and place of birth is
required for a normal check. It takes Id6 hours to generate a chart, but only
ld6 minutes if a program is used to assist.
With only the date of birth, or sun sign, a -5 penalty is assigned to the
difficulty.The charactermay also attempt using Astrology skill to determine
the sun sign of an individual. The base difficulty is 15,though the check is
secretly made by the GM.
IfthismethodofInfomancyistobeused,theGMshouldhaveabasicknowledge
of astrology,if only to use the proper names of the signs. Note that othercultures
astrologicalmethods can be used in place of the Western cultures.
AURA READING
According to advocates of this form of Infomancy, every person has an aura:
a glowing color surroundingthe body. The color of the aura gives information
on the personsmental state.The charactermust be ableto see the personsbody
and concentratefor 1minute. The informationgained is generally quite vague,
however, so a 4penalty on all Aura Reading checks is imposed.
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GRAPHOLOGY
The art of handwriting analysis. While it is a highly successful art, the
modem age, with word processing, has almost destroyed it. However, if a
sample of writing is obtained, the character can make Infomancy checks.
Even the subjects gender can be determined (DL 15).
If only the signature is present, a 4penalty is assigned. Graphology can also
be used to detect forgeries, but a sample of the true handwriting must be
used to compare.
There is a variant of Graphology for the electronic medium. With a -5
penalty to the checks, writing styles can be recognized. The character can
gain some information from those styles and recognize the same author in
two separate works. A further -5 penalty is assigned for works of less than
20 pages due to the need for massive amounts of writing.
Variations of graphology study different kinds of art and, based on the work,
assessthe artist. Thiscould be useful to charactersin the art world. However,
there is a -2 penalty to most checks due to the lack of formalizedstructure
in the fields of art.
HUMAN PERCEPTION
The first and most common method of Infomancy presented in Cyberpunk.
By watching body language, one can tell if people are lying and determine
some aspects of their personality. The character must view the subject for at
least 1hour. If the subject is a long time acquaintance, assign a +5 to checks.
PALMISTRY
The art of reading informationabout a person from the lines on the palm of
their hand. Reading the bumps on the head and such skills work on similar
principles. Due to the extreme imprecision of this art, a -5 penalty is given
for all Palmistry Infomancy checks. It is merely mentioned because it does
pop up a lot at parties in the Cyberpunk world. It should also be noted that
palmistry tells the future of the subject and can be used for Divination with
a -5 penalty.
PSYCHOLOGY
The study of human behavior. Unlike Human Perception, it involves a
scientific study of people and how they act. Also, it allows assessments of
people without having ever seen them. Information on their activities is
enough to allow a character with Psychology to deduce information about
the subject.
If the character actually spends time with the subject (1hour or more), a +2
bonus is given. If the character counsels or regularly gives therapy to the
subject, a +5bonus is given to checks, due to the familiaritywith the subject.
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SHAMANIC RITES
Shamanic magic dates back to the earliest human civilizationsand was one
of the earliest forms of institutionalized psychic power use.Proper rituals
were learned to invoke the power in almost anyone, provided you carried
them out properly.
There is very little left of Shamanic Magic in 2020, except what is written;
it is thus very difficult to learn. Also, most aboriginal peoples have since lost
their original cultural roots and therefore have little knowledge themselves
of the Shamanic Magic. An Anthropology score of at least +6is required to
even have Shamanic Magic in Cyberpunk 2020. Note that dedication to that
cultures belief system is very important to Shamanic magic.
Witchcraft rituals also fall under the category of shamanic magic. However,
it is a little more common. Specify if the ritual is shamanic or witchcraft,
however.
When casting a Shamanicspell, the characters (PSY or EMP + Expert:Ritual
Name + Modifiers + ld10) versus the rituals difficulty. Use whichever is
higher, Empathy or Psyche. The related psychic powerslevel may be added
if the character has any.
Characters lose ld6 Fatigue Points per 5 levels of Difficulty of the spell,
regardless of success or failure. Note that separate skill must be takenineach
individual ritual. Shamans memorize their rituals, so they must be taught;
there are no books to learn from.
Shamanic magic can reproduce the effects of the following psychic powers:
Animal, Hypnological, Sensory, Psychometry, Healing, Astral, Body Control and Transform. However, add 5 to the difficulty listed in Nights Edge.
Some rituals involve effects of other powers; add 15to the DL of these other
powers since they do not ,fall into the typical domain of the shaman.
Remember that for each effect, there must be a separate ritual known to the
character.
PRACTITIONERS
The practitioners of the Ars Nova are asvaried and diverse as their arts. There
are ten basic types of practitioners, ranging from the occasional dabbler to
the Voodoo Houngan. Characters in a campaign could be any one of these
and be considered a practitioner. However, the more powerful types of
practitioners should be reserved for N K s .
The ten types of practitioners are: Alkemists, Dabblers, Ecclesiastics, Magicians, Occultists, Pseudopsychics, Shaman, Technomancers, Voodoo
Houngan & Mambo/Bokor and WitchNarlocks. They are examined in
ascending order of rarity (the last being the rarest).
ALKEMISTS
Alkemists, like many of the various types of practitioners, only practice one
type of magic,that ofAlkemy. They are essentially drugdesigners,but they
go for that very special look of the ancient alchemists and try to take on the
intrigue too by coming up with particularly bizarre designs for design sake.
If you want a truly bizarre drugdesigned,an Alkemist isyour best bet, assuming
you can stand all the noxious odors and eccentric labs they work in. They also
charge quite a bit, not being the most charitable of practitioners.
Alkemists will have Pharmaceuticals or Pharmacology skill, Chemmy and
possiblysomemedicalexpertise.Whilesome are doctors,mostareonlypseudodoctors,having received their medical degree through a correspondence school.
DABBLERS
Dabblers are another common type of practitioner, as they often know little
magic, but like to play around occasionally. This is the most probable kind
of practitioner player characters will be. Dabblers come from all walks of life,
from the homeless nomad that uses runes to determine the destiny of the
next trek to the Corporate that uses astrology to guide her decisions.
Most Dabblers deal with the Divination Arts and Infomancy; occasionally
they try out the Illusioncrafts and more rarely, the Esoteric magic. They
usually have a skill level between +2and +4in the relevant aspect which they
practice on occasion.
These are by far the weakest practitioners and also very common. There are
Dabblers all around; most characters will know a few, perhaps themselves!
MAGICIANS
Magicians are primarily concerned with Illusioncraft and perform all kinds
of tricks. While they practice no real magic,they can certainly perform
incredible and stupefylng feats. They are found all over, with varying
abilities. The best magicians have a reputation and sometimes, their own
show. They are very well-known to the public and the most socially
acceptable type of practitioner.
Magicians, oddly enough, are often the most skeptical of real magcand
rarely possess any Ars Nova skills other than Magic and Sleight of Hand.
105
They also often seek to prove other f o m of magic as fake, believing their
craft to be the only real one.
A new role for magicians in 2020 has been enlistment in extraction teams.
Their talent for making people disappearright before your eyes is extremely
useful in such situations.
PSEUDOPSYCHICS
APseudopsychicisa practitionerthat claimsto be apsychicbut actuallyuses
the tools of the Divination Arts, Illusioncraft or Infomancy to achieve the
same results. There are such Pseudopsychics at all Psychic fairs and other
social events. They are also often the ones advertising their abilities and
charging for their services.
Pseudopsychicsoften only practice one art or craft with a near expert ability,
using a combinationof skill and intuition to guide their "abilities".They can
often easily fool the public but not real psychics.
Pseudopsychics are flourishing in the superstitious age of Cyberpunk.
When uncertainty runs wild, they pounce upon the confused and offer
answers. While they are often charlatans, some Pseudopsychicsare actually
quite good at what they do and can actually help in some cases.
ECCLESlASTICS
Ecclesiastics are found in every religion and almost every cult, and all
practice one form of Faith Magic or another. While they normally only
practice Faith Magic, some may also use Guidance Divination and the
occasional Ecclesiasticuses Esoteric Magic. However, while they are common, their practice of magic is not. Rarely will they use Blessings other than
in services, and most religions do not condonethe use of Curses. Wishesare
also only very rarely invoked, and even rarer are the successes of such
wishes.
Generally Ecclesiasticsonly know the Good Fortune blessing or one related
to their deity/demon/being.For examplean Ecclesiasticof the Churchof SIN
might only know the Romance blessing while one of the Church of the
Undead might only know the Curse of Death.
Characters are very unlikely to be Ecclesiastics for the simple hct that they
would also have to be part of the religion or cult's organization (simple
members are rarely if ever taught Faith Magic). However, if the playerwishes
to take on this responsibility, he should be rewarded with some knowledge
in Faith Magic. Normally though, this type of practitioner is best used as
NPC.
TECHNOMANCERS
Technomancersare the newest type of practitioner, and also not an all that
uncommon one. What is rare is a Technomancer that is worth mention.
Technomancers practice "contemporary magic". It encompasses almost all
forms of magic. It is also closely linked to Neo-Voodoo. All technomantic
arts deal with technology in some form. In the place of natural sacrifices,
106
artificial ones are made. Spell books are nonexistent, replacedwith spell text
files. The Technomancer wears data chips as decoration and uses electric
cords for belts and headbands.
Technomancers often lead booster gangs or work for corporations. Few of
them work alone because they cannot make money that way, except, of
course, for the best of them. Merlin Mark I1 is one of the best Technomancers
in the 2 1st century. He claims to be a descendant of the original Merlin (not
likely) and rents out his services to the highest bidder. Such is the life of
Technomancers.
Technomancers often heavily use drugs to enhance their ability to "tune in"
on the magical frequencies through the use of Alkemy. They also use tarot
or rune programs which randomly select cards or stones and generate
readings almost instantaneously. Some even program limited AIS to help
interpret the results (substituteskill ofA1, generally only +4, for character's).
They also use programmed I Ching or other Datamantic programs.
Most Technomancers know at least one spell of Esoteric Magic. However,
the spells tend to gravitate around technological concepts or devices. For
example, Electrokineticequivalent spells are most common. Material sacrifices are also artificial or technological in nature.
The technomantic equivalentto Faith Magic is only used by Netrunners who
believe in the Murk pantheon. They invoke those beings. Typical blessings
used include: Clarity and Technical; typical curses include: Bad Luck and
Confusion. Wishes are not typically used by Technomancers.
All forms of Illusioncraft are used by Technomancersto enhance their public

appeal. In addition it should be noted that almost all Technomancers have
Perform skill. The most common Infomantic skill used by Technomancers
is Human Perception, though any might be found in a Technomancer's
repertoire. Many have programs which generate astrological charts in
minutes to speed up the process.
Characters may be Technomancers only if they have a good explanation of
how they came to learn the arts, and only if the GM permits it. Otherwise,
Technomancers will be almost exclusively NPCs.
VOODOO HOUN'GAN G MAM'BO/BOKOR

Practitioners of Voodoo magic, like Technomancers, use many forms of
magc. They often combine them to add to the effect of the desired goal. The
goals of Houn'gan and Bokor are often radically different though, as the
former tend to practice positive, helping magic while the latter are involved
with the darker forms.
Alkemy is heavily used in voodoo magic; however, natural elements are
prefered and the skill Herbalism applies. Like witchcraft, use the Altered
States drug design system (from Dark Metropolis); however, multiply the
cost of the drug by 5 and double the value of the Secondaryeffects. They are
more natural and include very bizarre designs such as the zombie dust
described in the Neo-Voodoo chapter (note that zombie dust is a specialcase
and cannot be reproduced by the Altered States system).
107
Voodoo practitioners use a special divination method wherein an animal is

sacrificedand the future is determined through it. Use the normal tables. The
skill involved is Voodoo Divination. Some voodooists also use Bibliomancy.
There is a great deal of Faith Magic involved in voodoo. All blessings and
curses are used by voodoo practitioners, with the Loa as the Beingsinvoked.
Wishes are more uncommon, but have been known to be asked of the Loa
and, at times, granted.
While many voodoo priests and priestesses possess a certain amount of
Performance skill, their use of the Illusioncraft is very limited. Nevertheless,
they can put on quite a show.
Human Perception is the most common form of Infomancy used by voodoo
practitioners. There are some who practice the other arts, but there is no
particular favored method.
Shamanic rites are very common to voodoo magic. However, unlike the
typical Shamanicrites,all effects described in Nights Edge can be replicated
by voodoo rituals, adding +10to the difficulty.This includes Electrokinesis,
common among the neo-voodooists. See the Nouveuu-Voodoochapter for
more information on Voodoo and Neo-Voodoo.
Player charaaers should not be permitted to be voodoo practitioners as they
would have to be priests and would not be free to adventure. However,
Houngan, Mambo and Bokor NPCs would add a definite flavor to the campaign
asarecurringcharacterthat thecharaaerscanseekaid fromorattempttoescape.
OCCULTlSTS
Occultists are a rare bunch usually only found in the highest ranks of
pseudo-religious organizations or in particularly twisted, off-beat cults.
Occultists generally only practice Esoteric magic and know only a few spells.
Some practice Faith Magic, though usually only curses. They are almost
always in small groups with the occasional lone eccentric Occultist.
Occultists tend to be a little insane and believe their powers to be more than
they are. The worst Occultist is one that is truly psychic, and while he
normally restricts his activities to long, drawn out spells, he can also react
instantly with powers of his own.
Player characters should not be allowed to be occultists unless they belong
to an occult organization. The individualsinsuch an organizationmay prove
hazardous to the characterslife as they are quite erratic. Luckily their spells
usually take several hours to prepare.
WITCHNARLOCK
Witches and warlocks are extremely rare in 2020. They exist in Wicca
covens found in the wilds of the world as they attempt to get away from
modem city life. They are extremely difficult to find: they do not like the
Cyberpunk world and try to avoid it at all costs.
Witches and warlocks practice a form of Shamanic Rites as well as a variant
of the Alkemical craft in which they use natural drugs (use Herbalism skill);
10s
the Divination Arts, Faith Magic and Infomancy (only the archaic forms)are
also practiced. Their magic often requires long ceremoniesand the cooperation of the thirteen members of the coven.
Use the AlteredStutes drug design system of the DarkMetropolis sourcebook

but multiply the cost of the drugby 5, then double the value of the Secondary
effects. This reflects the more costly materials and lesser ill effects.
The GM should not allow the characters to be witches or warlocks. A
campaign based around a coven with the characters as members would be
possible, but only in extreme circumstances. The characters will most likely
never encounter practitioners of witchcraft but they may run across a coven
in the wilderness.
SHAMAN
The rarest practitioner is the Shaman. They are nearly extinct, with only a
handful found worldwide. They hide in the backwaters of the wilderness
and largely keep to themselves. In rare cases,a shaman can be found with
his tribe though few tribes have survived to the 2 1stcentury as they were on
the governments priority list.
Shamans practice Shamanic Rites with some Faith Magic and Divination
Arts on the side. Some Shamans also practice one form of Infomancy. All of
these revolve around the beliefs of the tribe the shaman belongs to.
The characters are unlikely to even hear of ones existence, let alone meet
one. For this reason, player characters should not be allowed to be shaman.
109
I
i
CORPORATE MAGES & PSYCHICS

Psychic powers and magic are somewhat accepted as existing in the 2 1st
century. However, a great deal of superstition, ignorance and fear still
surround it.
Governments have recognized the possibilities of psychic powers decades
ago and have pursued their own research. More recently, corporations
began their own research into such prospects. While both publicly scoff at
psychic powers, they secretly develop their own psychic forces.
Here is a quick summary of the major corporate standingsin the psychic and
magic arena:
ARASAKA:
Being a security corporation, they have a small number of magicians and
psychics from all branches on hand. They provide specialized security
services. This corporationhas the most fearsome elite troops since many are
magicians.
BIOTECHNICA:
The masters of genetic engineering, this company is most interested in straight
psychic powers. Theyhave an entire division,called Project Prometheus, which
is rated Top Secret where they research the genetic factors related to psychic
ability. Their psychic agents tend to be of a very evil nature, with their Covert
operatives rumored to all be psychic assassinsof some sort.
EBM:
There has been a great deal of interest in magic from this company,
particularly Technomancy. They employ a number of "Psytechs" who are
quickly able to assess what is wrong with a device; their speed and accuracy
is unmatched by non-psychic technicians. It is also rumored that they have
"PsySpy" teams watching for new technology in other companies and
"Wallers" protecting their own secrets. However, their specialty is in
technomancy, with little expertise outside of those arts.
IN FOCOMP:
Not surprisingly, Infocompuses all sorts of psychics and esotericmagicians.
They have even developed a fairly extensive screening process to discover
the frauds from the true power-wielders. They gain a good deal of information otherwise impossible to divine through their "ESP" division.This iswhy
so many companies are paranoid about psychic spies.
MA G F:
- -
. .
110
Again, a strong corporation with a tradition of not believing in magic or the

supernatural of any form. They staunchly deny ever having used psychics or
magicians of any sort. There is very little proof to the contrary. This could,
however, be their undoing. Psychic spies could easily have infiltrated this
corporation.
MICROTECH:
Microtech employs a good number of technomancers, like EBM,their main competitor. They have pretty much the
same set-up, though on a much smaller scale.
MlLlTECH:
The stance of this corporationis simple: psychics and magicians are fakes. They supposedly do not employ any, nor
do they have any special defense against them. However, there is in fact Murphy's Company, which is known to be
where the odd-ballsandgeniusesofarmsdesignaresent. Thisgrouphasanumberofpsychicsandmagicians,
though
they are forbidden to openly use their powers. Even many of the shareholdersare unaware of the hidden talents of
this group.
"54
G WNS:
Due to the nature of these companies, telepaths and precogs are extremely desirable. However, beyond research
capabilities,they cannot report visions, so their usefulness is limited. Also, the number of charlatanshas caused the
corporations to be extremely wary. They do have a number of psychics on their staff, though, but no magicians,
which they all consider to be frauds. They also frequently use these psychics against one another.
ORBITAL AIR:
This corporation does not employ any psychics, magicians or sorcerers. They take pride in this too. However, it is
rumored that, in fact, they have a number of "PsySpies" watching over their crafts and "Negators" on call in case any
power should be used to disrupt their service. Still, on the whole, their executives are distrustful of psychics and
would prefer not to have any at all.
PETROCHEM:
It is unsure as to what position this company stands on the issue of psychic powers; they have never made any public
denouncements or praises of the psychic community. Rumor has it that Ellen Trieste-Youngblood (the major
shareholder) is a precog of immeasurable ability and so she ensures that the company does not need any other
psychics. However, there are also rumors she is insane and that her visions have caused millions in losses to the
company.
TRAUMA TEAM INTERNATIONAL:

Although strongly denied, a number of MedTechs on Trauma Team staff are in fact psychics skilled in the art of
healing. However, they will never employ magicians or evenextremely skilled healers due to the bad publicity which
could come from it. Psychics are forbidden to use their powers while in the employ of TTI, except healers, who are
permitted to use their gifts only in life or death situations.
WCN:
The leader in world communications does not need psychics of any sort. They did try out a couple of technomancers
a few years back, but were strangely unimpressed by them. This company does not employ psychics or magicians
officiallybecause they claim they are inefficient andunreliable. This puzzles many corporationswhich have had great
results with their psychic teams. This brings the question as to whether this is a cover up.
ZETATECH:
There is no formal research into the psychic arts. There are a few technomancers, but they mainly freelance their
abilities to the company, with no magicians per se on their payroll.
111
CYBERPSYCHICS
Thereare a growingnumberof charlatanswho use cyberneticsto imitate real
psychic powers. Here are some examples of powers which can be replicated
to some degree using cybernetics (also use the Mundane Powers listed in
Night's Edge to complement this list when dealing with charlatans):
LIFE SENSEIBIOMONITOR:
Many charlatanspretend to be psychically reading the life signs of a person,
while actuallybeing skilledin readinga Biomonitor.They will typically only
"read"people with biomonitors,manipulatingtheir subject so that the readout is visible.
PSYCHOKlNESWSPEEDWARE:
Simple magic can be used to make small objects disappear briefly and, by
using Speedware, the character's reflexes are speeded even more to add to
the illusion. Only electronic recordings will detect any fraud.
-
BODY CONTROUPAIN EDITOR:

By turning off sensations of paidcoldheat with the Pain Editor, the
character can pretend to be entering a trance in which he does not feel such
things. It could also be used by legitimate Body Controllers to add a +2 to
their chance of success.
EIDETIC MEMORYIMEMORY.CHIPS:
Many fakes pretend to have incredible memories and correctly recite
random numbers from the phone book. This is indeed possible, but those
wishing to bypass the hours of necessary study can simply insert a memory
chip containingthe information. However, this trick is so well-known that
hiding the chipware socket is paramount otherwise people will assume that
to be your trick.
MENTALNOICE STRESS ANALYZER:

By using a voice stress analyzer the character candiscover what the person
being interviewed gets tense about and can pretend to read their mind by
pushing into topics which make the person nervous. Watching facial
reactions in response to certain key phrases is a commonly used trick.
~
TELEPATHY/RADIO SPLICE:
If set up before the trick is done, the charlatan can pretend to be psychically
sending information to a "random"person in the crowd via the radio splice.
However, again, the cyberaudio must be well-hidden. Perhaps a hired
doctor could attest that no Cybernetics have been installed...
There are many more scams which can be perpetrated using cybernetics.
The more devious and novel, the more likely it is to succeed. The common
tricks are known to most crowds and the cynical world of the 2 1st century
is not prone to take the magicians word on things, instead looking for ways
it could have been done other than psychic or magical.
KNOWLEDGETYPES FREQUENCIES
There are two basictypes of knowledge when dealing with the various beasts, people and organizations: Common and Studied. The
Common knowledge is what the
average personon the street might
know on the subject. Studied infers
that the character has read up on
the subject; it was possibly a childhoodinterest, or the character might
have had some experience with it.
Both can be severely tainted with
rumor and myth - the truth is up
the GM and usually known only to
him.
If the GM is unsure as to whether a

character might have any additional knowledge of a particular
subject, roll Id10 and find the result on the listing next to that subject. Disregardthis roll if the character has a related skill. For example,
most AI-related subjects will be
Studied by Netrunners. Use your
own discretion. It is rare that characters will know more than a couple subjects at more than Common
knowledge.
Frequency desaibes how common a particular subject (person, being,

organization, etc.) is in the world. Generally, the more common the
subject, the more people will have Studied knowledge of it.
Explanations of the various frequencies are found below. References are
to subjects (individuals of the type listed), and organizations. The GM
should feel free to change them as desired to suit a particular campaign.
Certain places or people can even be ruled to be nonexistent.
NEAR UNIQUE:
The sdyect is almost one of a kind; perhaps a hay dozen exist in the world a t any one time.
Organizations have only a h a n d ?ofgroups and veryfew members.
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE:
The subject is extremely rare, with perhaps afew dozen existing in the world at any one time.
Organizations have only afew groups and few members.
VERY RARE:
The subject is very rare, with only a couple hundred or so in the world at any one time.
Organizations have maybe a hundred gracps (oftenin major cities) and a good membership.
RARE:
The sdyect is rare, beingfound in small numbers in major cities. There are afew hundred in the
world. Organizations have a few hundred groups (mainly in major cities) and a very good
membership. The chance of the character knowing directly or indirectly such a subject place or
being is 1 in 100.
UNCOMMON:
The subject is not common. In large numbers in major cities, but decreasing infrequency as one
gets into smallerurban locations.There are afew thousand in the world. Organization have a
few thousand groups worldwide and a very strong membership. The chance of the character
knowing directly or indirectly such a subject place or bang is 1 in 20.
COMMON:
The subject isfairly common, with any character having a 1 in 10 chance of knowing one. The
subject numbers in the tens ofthousands all theway up to hundreds ofthousands. Organizations
havethawndsofgroupsworld-wide,meninsmall cities andlessdevelopedcountria,andavery
strongfollowing.
DENIZENS OF THE NIGHT

ALKEMlST -COMMON
(1-4) Common. Guy who change lead into gold. right?
(5-0)Studied. FractitionersofAlkemy, theart ofdrugdesign, typicallyfocusingonmind-tzltering
drugs.
AI ZOMBIES - W R Y RARE
(1 -7) Common: AIs who take over humans mind and control them
(8-0) Studied. AIs use Roper programs to mite over the mind of humans and control them,
Usually performed ly Rogue Als.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ROGUE VERY RARE

(1-7)Common: AIs who hcrn on their masters and havegone crazy.
(8-0) Studied: An AI who has abandonedits originalprogrammingand masters topursueits own
interest; it generally acapedfrom its original mainframe. Sometimes due to the masters abusing
the AI.
G
114
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - UNCOMMON

(14) Common: A computer that is intelligent.
(5-0) Studied:Acomputer thatcanbeoriginalinits thinking. Someoftheneweronesalsohave
personalities.
BLACK MONDAY -VERY RARE
(1-8) Common: Terroristgroup that attacks Wnetworks.
(9-0) Studied. An Inquisitor terrorist organizationbent upon destroyingthemodemmedia.They
typically bomb W stations, though mainly the smaller ones.
BOKOR-RARE
(1-7) Common: Voodoo witch doctor.
(8-0) Studied. Practitioner ofvodoun magic,especially evil spells and curses. Supposedly able
to create zombies.
CHURCH OF SIN UNCOMMON

(1-5) Common: A cult based around sinning and being evil.
(6-0)Studiect A cult based around the Seven lndufgenc~of Nature, believing that pleasure is
mostimportantin lije. TheMythsarethat theypracticeallsortsofNilattsandc~emurder.
CHURCH OF THE IMMORTALS VERY RARE

(1 -8) Common:Acult based around death and ritual sacrifice. Oftencalled Curchofthe Undead
(9-0) Studied. A cult that is extremely secretivedoing research into death and rites ofdeatk It
is lead by a man called Raven
CRYPTOZOOLOGICALSTUDIES INSTITUTE (CSI) EXCEPTlONALLY RARE

(1-9) Common: What?They study dead animals?
(0)Studied.Anassociationofpeopleinterestedinthediscovery ofsupposedfy mythicalcreatures,
such as vampires, werewolves, yeti, etc. T h q offer moneyfor samples of such creatures.
CYBERPSYCHICS RARE
(1-9) Common: People who use cybernetics to be psychic.
(0)Studied: People who pretend to have psychic powers or be mages using cyberneticsin place
of real powers.
SCHULTZ
(ALKEMIST)
Schultz is your average street-level
Alkemist with a lab downtown, the
door opening on some dark alley and
known only by word of mouth. Those
who chance to find out about it, though,
are rewarded with some of Schultzs
special blends.He specializes in making drinks, or elixirs as he calls them.
His favorite is a liquid version of Sweetness, an aphrodisiac that he often sells
to university students.
Stats:
INT:8 R E F 5
MOVE:4
EMP:6
COOL8 TECH:9
LUCK6 BODY:6
AlT:S PSY5
Skills:
MEDTECH +3;
Pharmaceuticals +7;
Chemistry +4
20 points of assorted skill as the GM
sees fit
DABBLER - COMMON
(1-4) Common: People who do somethinga bit?
(5-0) Studied. Practitioners of one or twoforms of magic on an occasionalbasis, or who have no
other knowledge of magic.
DARK GHOULS VERY RARE

(1-8) Common: People who collect dead bodies because they like it.
(9-0)Studied. Peoplewho collect dead animals and bodiesforvariacs reasons. They usually are
mentally ill, often suferingfrom schizophrenia.
DORPH ZOMBIES COMMON

(1-4) Common: Dorph addicts.
(5-0) Studied:Dorphaddictswhosemindandnewoussystem havebeendestroyedby thedrug.
DREAM HEALERS UNCOMMON

(1-6) Common: Weirdoes who think they canEyyour problems by dreaming about you.
(7-0)Studied.Peoplewhousedreampowerstoaidintherapy.
Mytharethat theDreamHealers
play with peoples mind instead ofcutual!y helping them
DREAM RIDERS RARE

(1-7) Common: No clue.
(8-0) Studied. Psychics whoobserveandplay with other peoples dreams through their powers.
DREAM STALKER PSYCHOSIS RARE

(1-7) Common: Some weird insanity where you think a Dreamstalker is coming afteryou.
(8-0) Studied: A psychosis in which the victim believes he is being stalked by a being which is
feeding upon his dreams. Caused by prolonged insomnia. Leads to extremely intense nightmares
and chronic insomnia, sometimes death by exhaustion.
115
r3
,
STONER
(DABBLER)
Stoner is a street dealer specializing in
grey information. He dabbles in runic
Infomancy to guide him: he is wellknown for consulting his precious
stones before doing anything, which is
how he got h~ handle. However, most
people put up with it since he is good at
what he does. Some even speculate that
the stones might actually work.
His most Eommon castingwith the rune

stones is whether information is accurate or not (Yes or No - 1 Week) and
how dangerous it is to embark upon a
particular deal (Geneml Fate - 1Week).
He sometimes gets information by asking the stones whether a specific event
will happen or not (Specific Event - 1
Day to 1 Month).
ECCLESIASTIC UNCOMMON
(1-5) Common. Religiousperson.
(6-0)Studied. Practitionersoffaith magic; generally have ~ p ~ ipowers
a l connected to a deity
or powerful being.
FOLLOWERS OF SPIRITUAL PURITY UNCOMMON

(1-7) Common. No idea. Theyre a weirdgroup that hates cybernetics.
(8-0) Studied. Also known as the Inquisitors. A cult that violently opposes the presence of
cybernetics in society, and in general any technology.
GHOULS UNCOMMON
(1-7) Common: People who collect bodiesfor their rn pleasure and sometimessell thcm
(8-0) Studied. People who collect bodies and body partsfor bounties.
HEART BURN NEAR UNIQUE

(1-7) Common: What you get after a not-so-good meal.
(8-0) Studied.A correspondencevampire-hunter collegewithaverypoor reputationinthisfield.
HOLY BRIGADE NEAR UNIQUE

(1-8) Common: The Popes private army?
(9-0)Studied: A warrior sect of Inquisitors that seek more violent means of eliminating
technologfrom the world Somewhat a terrorist group.
stats:
INT:7 REF:6
MOVE: 7
EMP:8
DREAM STALKERS VERY RARE

(1-8) Common: Creatures thatfeed on your dreams and hauntyou until yougo crazy and die.
Just like in the movies, but theyre not real.
(9-0)
Studied. Creatures orpsychicswhowarpand hurtpeoplethrough dreampowers. They are
generally regarded as a mythical creature. but hey,who knows?
COOL9 TECH:4
LUCK8 BODX5
ATT:9
PSY:5
Skills:
STREETDEAL+6;Expert: Rune Lore
+4; Human Perception +2;Palmistry
+1
25 points of assorted
shill as the GM seesfit
HOUNGAWMAMDO UNCOMMON
(1-7) Common. No idea.
(8-0) Studied. A vodoun priest and leader of a vodoun community. Generally practicing
benejkial magic. Mambo is thefemale equivalent.
INQUISITORS UNCOMMON
(1-7) Common: Theyre a weird group that hates cybernetics.
(8-0) Studied.Also known as theFollowers ofspiritual Purity. A cult that violently opposes the
presence of cyberneticsin society, and in general any technology.
LACERS UNCOMMON
(1-7) Common: Black Lace addicts.
(8-0)Studied. Thosewho are severely addicted to Black Lace and may never racovnfrom it.
LOA - WA
(1-7) Common: No idea.
(8-0) Studied. The spirits of the vodounfaith. They are like minor gods, and often possess
followers during ceremonies.
LYCANTHROPES RARE
(1 -9) Common:A what? Isnt that a werewolf7
(0) Studied. The lesser werewolf that doemtfully change into a wolf but must kill anyway.
MAGICIANS COMMON
(1 -3) Common.People who do magic tricks, like sawingpeople in ha&
(4-0) Studied. Masters of the art of illusion and sleight of hand
MANDELBROT SOClElY VERY RARE

(1 -8) Common. No idea.
(9-0)Studied. A society, also known as the Patternists, based around the beliejthat everything
in the universe happens according to patterns.
MUNDANE MONKS VERY RARE

(1-8) Common: Monks who live in thegutters of the city and pretend they like it.
(9-0) Studied: A sect of Inquisitors dedicated to living a peaceful, humble life-They preach the
absolute abandonment of technology.
#g
116
MURK DEITIES VERY RARE

(1-7)Common: No idea.
(8-0) Studied. The idea that the Murk are tutually gods in the Net.
MURK PSYCHOSIS - VERY RARE

(1-6) Common:Aninranity thatalotofnetnuvlmgetwhereint h 9 believe that thereare things
in the Net coming to get them
(7-0) Studied. Apsychosis inwhich thevictimbelievessomethingis alivein thenet. warchingand
affecting them.
MURK VERY RARE

(1-8) Common: Ghosts which supposedly live in the Net.
(9-0) Studied.Spiritsor things that supposedly live in the Net. There are three types, those that
just watch, those that hurt and those that help, called Watchers, Stalkers and Guardians
respectively.
NEO-VOODOO - COMMON
(1-6) Common: A new version of voaloo.
(7-0) Studied.A modemversion of the vodacnfaith with new loa and belitfs centered aratnd
technology.
NIHILIST MOVEMENT UNCOMMON

(1-6) Common: A movement ofpeople who want to kill themselves.
(7-0) Studied: A popular philosophy who see no point in living. Adepts advocate dying in a
spectacular manner so as to encourageothers to do the same
OCCULTIST - VERY RARE
(1-7)Common: Weird cultists.
(8-0) Studied. Cultists who practices magic of an esoteric nature. Generally steeped in ritual.
PAITERNISIS VERY RARE

(1-8) Common: A group obsessed with patterns.
(9-0) Studied. The true name is Mandelbrot Society. Its a society based around the betief that
everything in the universe happens according to patterns.
PREDATO NOSFERATU - NEAR UNIQUE
(1-9) Common: No idea.
(0) Studied. A sect ofthe Inquisitors (seealso Followers ofSpirihcal Purity) dedicatedto hunting
cybernetic vampires.
PSEUDOPSYCHIC UNCOMMON
(1 -5) Common: Person who is only partidy psychic?
(6-0)Studied. Practitioners of magic or other skills who use them to pretend to be psychics.
RAINBOW
(MAGICIAN)
Rainbow is a professional magician. She
takes her name from her claim that she can
bend light. She has her own TV show, Pot of
Gold, and has national acclaim as the current leading magician. However, her love of
the edge has not only impelled her to attempt risky tricks, but also work for
Edgerunners on occasion. Her underworld
contacts and activities are not publicly
known, but, in certain circles, it is known
that she can perform the incredible for a
price.
Her favoritetricks,both on and off stageare:
making people disappear,escaping incrediblebonds, breaking into impregnablebuildings and making herself disappear. She is
also very adept at making small objects
disappear. She is rumored to steal small
objects from her underworld jobs as trophies.
Stats:
INT:9 EF:9
TECH:IU
COOL10
MOVE:8LUCKIO
BODY:5
EMP:6 A I 7 9
PSY:3
Skills:
]URYRIG+5; Magic+8; PickLOck+6;
Sleight of Hand +6; Perform +6
15points of assorted skill as the GM
seesfit
PSYCHICS RARE
(1-8) Common: People who are psychic, can read minds, bend bars with their mind, etc.
(9-0) Studied. Peoplegifted with mental powers ofvarying abilities. Thefour major groups are
Tetepuths, Psychokinetics, ESPers and Body Controllers.
SANDMEN RARE
(1-9) Common: Creatures that steal your dreams and twist your mind.
(0)Studied. Humansgiftedwith the lent ofaffecting otherpeoplesdreams. Therearefour types
of Sandmm Dream Stalkers, Dream Riders, Sleepwalkersand Dream Healers.
SCISSORS EXCEPTIONAUY RARE

(1-9) Common: Terrorists who attack the Net.
(0)Studied.An Inquisitorterrorist sect ofthePurists, primarily interestedindestroyingthe Net.

SHAMAN - EXCEPTIONALLY RARE
(1-5) Common: A tribal witchdoctor.
(6-0)Studied. Thetribesspiritualleaderwhocontrolledthemagicforthetribe. V q f e w , ifany,

are lejt in the world.
117
MADAME TOURINA
(PSEUDOPSYCHIC)
Madame Tourina is a Pseudopsychic
who works out of her home, offering
predictions and answers to life's many
questions. She loves tarot and is renowned in the city for being the best
"reader" around. She also practices tea
leaf reading and palmistry. She occasionally dabbles in astrology, but because she claims to be precognitive, she
specializes in predicting the future.
stats:
INT:9 EF:4
MOVE:3
EMP:lO
COOL9 TECH9
LUCKS BODY: 6
ATT:5 PSY:5
Skills:
CREDIBILITY+Z; Expert: Tarot Lore
+5;Expert: Tea Leaf Reading +3;
Palmistry +2
10 points of assorted skill as the GM

sees fit
SHEPHERDS UNCOMMON
(1-8) Common: A community organization who keep order and protect the public from the
criminal element.
(9-0) Studied.A vigilante cult organized around protecting the community. Also involved in
protecting their own private interests.
SLEEPWALKERS VERY RARE

(1-8) Common:People who walk in their sleep.
(9-0) Studied. Psychics who observeand sometimes alter other people's dreams throughdream
powers.
SUN KNIGHTS VERY RARE

(1-9) Common: No idea
(0)Studied. An organization dedicated to destroying vampires. They earnestly believe that
vampires really exist.
TECHNOMANCERS RARE
(1-5) Common:Charlatans who claim to be able to use their magic to affect technology.
(6-0)Studied. Practitioners of techlogical magic. T h q seem to have some real power.
VAMPIRES RARE-NEAR UNIQUE'

(1-7) Common:Demons who haunt the night, drinking the blood of sleeping victims. They can
be destroyed by a stake through the heart and sunshine. T h q don't redly a i s t .
(8-0) S t u d i d People bitten by vampires who have been reborn as vampires. They now drink
blood to survive. They must sleep in coffinsduring the day. They can be destroyed by decapitation
andfire as wdl as Q stake through the heart and sunshine. They don't really exist.
*(Fledgling/Young- Rare); @dolescent/ Mafure - Very Rare); (OIdNery Old - Exceptionally
Rare); Hncient - Near Unique).
WEREWOLVES RARE-NEAR UNIQUE'

(1-8) Common:Masters who hcrn into wolves on nights ofthefull moon. They kill anyone that
t h y encounter. They can be destroyed by a silva bullet. They don't really exist.
(9-0) Studied. Victimsofwerewolfbita. T h q looknormal. except on thenight ofthefull moon,
where they turn into wolves and huntfor h w n j e s h . They can be killed by silver or i
jtouched
by the blood ofa martyr. T h q don't really exist.
*(Cub/Adolescent - Very Rare); @ddt/Pack Leader - Exceptionally Rare); (Ancient - Near
Unique).
W I K W A R L O C K VERY RARE
(1-8) Common: In old times, a woman or man who used black magic and rode on a broom.
(9-0) Studied. Practitioners of traditional magic, now commonlyfound among Wiuafollowers.
ZOMBIES -VERY RARE

(1-9) Common:Thcwalkingdeadwhowanttoeathumanfleshandcanonly bekilled by burning
or shooting them in the head.
(0)Studied. Victims of zombie dust. Their minds are destroyed and they are under the control
of thevoodoo master that created them, wually a bokor.
SHIFLX (TECHNOMANCER,
Shift-X is a Technomancer with quite a reputation. He is known to deal a lot with
AIS,with whom he sham a great deal. They both worship Gig, a Guardian Murk
that is rumored to be the deity of the AIS. He calls upon Gigs help when casting his
spells. He also apparently does a lot of work for the AIS and occasionally acts as a
liaison between them and their owners who cannot understand that AIShave their
own mythology.
He practices Datamancy. knows two Esoteric spells that he learned (either from an
AI or Gig herself, depending on which rumor you follow) and knows the Technical
Blessing that helps him in his work. Most of all, his knowledge of Gigs mythology
impresses AIS and gives him such a good name in their community.
stars:
WT:IO
BODY4
REF:5
EMP:6
COOL9
AR-5
TECH:8
PSY8
MOW6
LUCK6
DED: Gig +7
Skills:
Znterjizce +7
Expert: Datamancy +4
Expert:Merge Minds Spell +4
Expert: Circle ofProtection Spell +5
Expert: Technical Blessing +4
Expert: Gig Lore +7
10 points ofassorted skill as the GM seesfit
Spells:
MERGE MINDS DlFF 30 (TELEPAlHYIELECTROKINESIS):

ThkveryspecialspellallavsShift-Xtocommunedirectly with themindofanAls0 that
their two minds merge. Thisgives him all the howledge of the AI, as does it give the AI
all of his knowledge. However, due to the enormous amount of information being
transJerrecl, he must make a Dit20 Fright check; ijjailed, the spell ends immediatly.
It lasts 5 minutes.
Modifiers: Ceremony - 2 hours;P e r f m d in Gig Shrine (Power Location); Material
Sacrijce: Laptop Computer (9OOeb). Usual modijier: +8
CIRCLE OF PROTECTION DlFF 25 (ELECIROKINESIS):

This spell protects Shijt-X in the Net from any attach, as a strength 6 Force Shield
program. It lastsfor 2 minutes
Modifiers: Ceremony - 1 hour; Performed in Gig shrine (Paver location). Usual
modifier: +3
TECHNICAL BLESSING +I (25):

Bestaved upon selJ Two hours prayer, Ceremony of 1 hour, Performed in Gig Shrine.
Usual total modfiers: 0
119
MOONLOCKE (WITCH)
Moonlocke is a witch that is part of a coven which used to live just outside of the
city. While they are trying to exist harmoniously with nature, the AgriCorps keep
pushing them out. Consequently, the coven is currently located next to the park in
the city. They are mounting a campaign against the @Corps, casting curses and
attempting to disrupt them as much as possible. If some kindly Edgerunners were
to help them, they would be very gracious.
She practices Herbalism, like her coven-mates, but now creates harmful drugs that
they sneak into the executives drinks at work (many of them got jobs as secretaries
at the company headquarters). She also knows a curse and a blessing, and a couple
of spells, which she uses to help her friends and to hinder her enemies. Her tarot
readings give her information on the future actions of the corporation and is largely
correct.
Skills:
INT:8
BODY:6
REF5
EMP:lO
COOL9
ATT:9
TECH:2
PW:9
MOVE:6
LUCK7
DED: Wicca +7
Skills:
Herbalism +4
Expert: Courage
Expert: Flight of the Bat Spell +3
Expert: Dreams ofNight Spell +4
Expert: Wicca Lore +4
Coven +6
Expert: Tarot Lore +2
Blessing +4
Expert: Disquiet Curse +4
Expert: Palmistry +1
10 points ojassorted skill as the GM seesfit
Spells:
COURAGE BLESSING +I
(30):
Bestowed Upon Others, Ceremony of1 hour, Performed in treegrove Power location).
Usual total modijiers: +4
DISQUIET CURSE -1DIO (30):
Ceremony of 2 hours, Performed in tree grove, Sacrijice of precious herbs 050 eb
worth). Usual total modijiers:+5
FLIGHT OF THE NIGHT DlFF 30 (ASTRAL BODY):

This shamanu spell allows the witchs body to enter the astral plane and to soar
through the nightfor 2 huurs.
Modifiers: Ceremony - 1 hour; Meditation - 2 hours, Performed in tree grove. Usual
modifier: +6
DREAMS OF DARKNESS DlFF 35 (HYPNOLOGICAL):

This shamanic spell is cast upon a victim known to the casters and gives them terrible
nightmaresfor that night, reducing the effectofthat nights sleep by 1d l Ox 10%.It also
allows the caster to affect what is dreamed
Modifiers:Ceremony-2 hours; Meditation - 2 hours, Performed in treegrove,Material
Sacrifice ofartijacts (500eb worth). Usual modifier: +10
120
EJO NOODOO HOUNGAN)

Jojo is the citys best known voodoo houngan. If you have a problem, go see Jojo.
If you need something, go seeJojo. Jojo helps everyone at some point it seems, and
everyone owes him one because he doesnt charge for his servicesunless he really
dlslikesa person. He just asks that people remember his kindness if him or the Loa
should ever need some help.
Jojo has his own voodoo temple and is one of the few remaining old school voodoo
houngan, not practicing any Neo-Voodoo. He is an expert at curses, blessings,
seeingthe future, etc. He is also close with the Loa, especially Ghede on his bad days
and Damballah on the good days.
Stats:
INT:9
BODY8
REF:7
EMP:9
cooL.10
TECH:6
ATT:6
PSY: 10
Skills:
Charismatic Leadership +6
Human Perception +6
Expert: Good Fortune Blessing +2
Expert: Romance Blessing +2
Expert: Mounting Loa +4
M0VE:S
LUCK9
DED:Voodoo +8
Herbalism +8
Expert: Voodoo Divination +5
Expert: Voodoo Lore +6
Expert: Death Curse +2
Expert: Ill Fortune Curse +2
10 points of assorted skill as the GM seesfit

Spells:
GOOD FORTUNE BLESSING (25):
Bestavedupon other, BriefCerernony,Performed in VoodooShrine, Threesmallanimal
sacrifice (chickens). Usual total modifiers: +8
ROMANCE BLESSING (20):

Ceremony of 1 hour, Pelformed in Voodoo Shrine. Usual total modifiers: +3
DEATH CURSE -1 (35):

Preparation of 2 hours, Peformed in Voodoo Shrine, Large animal sacrifice (goat).
Usual total modifiers: +I 7
~~~
111 FORTUNE CURSE (25):

Ceremony of 1 hour, Performed in Voodoo Shrine, Small animal sacrijce (chicken).
Usual total modifiers: +6
121
SOLOUS (SHAMAN)
Solous is the last shaman and member of his tribe. He is not human but a werewolf.
Created by one of the first werewolves to come over from Europe, he was born over
500 years ago. He is also one of the oldest werewolves around.
While he does not have any spells per se, he knows many different shamanistic
skills,such as Herbalism, his own tribesmethod of divination, a blessing (if he ever
had need of one) and their rituals. These days, he keeps to hmself on the outshrts
of humanity, using his powers to find a person who is evil to kill on the night of the
full moon.
status:
A. L :4 (Ancient)Heal: 8/day
Stats:
INT: 11
REF: 12
COOL7
ATT:8
BODY:7O0) EMP6
FAMILY +NIA(all dead)
#Kills: Vmonth
TECH5
PSY: 13
Silver: normal
M0VE:lO
LUCIc.8
DED: Tribe +6
Skills:
Herbalism +10
Expert: Tribal Divination Lore +8
Expert: Courage Blessing +IO
Expert: Tribe Rituals +8
20 points of assorted skill as the G M seesftt
Quirks:
Fear - New Moon, Faster runner (t2 MA)
Powers:
Animals +6;
Telepathy +5,
Mental +8,
Transform +lo,
Sensory +6,
Precognition +4.
Spells:
COURAGE BLESSING +2 (35):
Bestaved Upon Others, Ceremony of 1 Hour, Performed in open clearing Power
location). Usual total modijiers: +4s
I
1
122
MARTIN SMITH (OCCULTIST)

Martin is part of Scissors,a terrorist organizationin the city whose focusis to destroy
the Net. He is part of the more esoteric side of the organization; his cell focuses on
ways to magically dlsrupt the Net. His fellow cult members are researching a spell
that might be able to permanently destroy the Net. In the meantime, though,hehas
to content himself just annoying Netrunners with curses and spells.
Stats:
lNT:8
BODY:6
REF:/
Eh4P:6
COOL7
ATT:7
TECH:6
P.W.5
MOVE:S
LUCKS
DED:Scissors +6
Skills:
Expert: Cleansing The Evil+4
Terrorist Cadre +6
Expert: Confusion Curse +2
20 points ofassorted skill as the GM seesfit
Spells:
CLEANSING THE EVIL DlFF 25 (ELECIROKINESIS):

This spell is cast upon a captured cyberdeck and has the effect ofwiping everything on
it. The Scissors cult members see this as a far more satisfying w q of destroying
netrunnersgear. One Memory is wiped per minute. It lasts 2 minutes, but this is more
than enough time to wipe a whole cyberdecksmemory. Sometimes, they attack entire
mainframes.
Modifiers:SFanaticspresent; Ceremony- 1hour; Rodofcleansingused (Poweritem).

Usual modifer: +4
CONFUSION CURSE -1 (30):
Ceremony of2 hours, Performed in Scissors Temple. Usual total modifiers: +12
/I -I
MASTER GUY (Ecclesiastic)
Master Guy is the spiritualfigurehead

in the citys local Shepherd following.
While the group is not largely religious, they do have a certain amount
of worship of God. Guy claims to be
theliaisonbetweenGodand the Shepherds, and, for the most part, they
believe in him, since he does have
certain powers.
stats:
INT:10 REF:8 COOL:8 TECH:5

MOVE:4 LUCK:5 BODY:8 EMP:9
PSY:7 DED: Shepherds t 8
AlT7
Skills:
CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP +4; Expert:

Victory Blessing t4; Expert: Courage
Blessing t4; Expert: Shepherd Lore t 6
20 points of assorted skill as the

GM sees fit
Spells:
V i i r y Blessing +2 (25)
Two hours Prayer, Ceremony of 30 minutes, Performed in Shepherd Temple,

Uses Shepherds Staff - Item. Usual total
modifiers: t 7
Coumge Blessing +2 (25)
Two hours Prayer, Ceremony of 30 minutes, Performed in Shepherd Teqle,
Uses Shepherds Staff - Item. Usual total
modiiea: t 7
AI .................................................
115
AI & psychic powers ...................... 74
AI (rogues) ............................ .74, 114
AI sentience .................................... 72
AI zombies ............................ .75. 114
Alienation....................................... 16
Alkemical craft ............................... 94
Alkemists ............................. 105, 114
Anti-fanatics ................................... 17
Apocalypticists, the ........................ 38
Arts of magic, the ........................... 93
Baron Samedi ................................. 46

Bizango ......................................... xxx
Black Monday ....................... .28. 115
Blessings ......................................... 98
Bokor ............................. 51. 107. 115
Chemistry ...................................... 90
Children ........................................... 5
Church of SIN ....................... .22, 115
Church of the Immortals ....... .24, 115
Compte .......................................... 46
Corporate cults ............................... 40
Corporate mages Q psychics ........110
Councilman ................................... 36
Cypt, the ....................................... 24
CyptozoologicalStudies Institute 115
Cult bands ...................................... 27
curses ............................................ 99
Cybernetichumanity loss ............... 15
Cyberpsychm ...................... 112, 115
Cyberpsychosis .............................. 16
Dabblers ............................... 105. 115

Damballah Wedo ........................... 47
Dark Ghouls ...................... see Ghouls
Dedication ...................................... 19
Dedication levels ............................ 19
Denizens of the night ..................114
Deprogramming ............................. 42
Divination arts................................ 94
Dorph Zombies ...................... 59, 115
Dreams........................................... 79
Dream healers ....................... .88, 115
Dream riders & stalkers .........87, 115
Dream stalker psychosis .........86, 115
Dream therapy ............................... 86
Ecclesiastics.................... 106. 116

Egotism ....................................
16
Ermlie ...................................... 47
Esoteric magic .................... 35. 96
ExhibiSIN. the .................... 22. 23
Grand Lodge ..................................

Grand Master .................................
Guilt groups ...................................
1 Ching ........................................... 33
Illusion craft ................................. 100
Indoctrination .......................... 40. 41
Infomancy .................................... 102
Inquisitors ............................. .26. 116
Insomnia checks............................. 82
121
Faith ............................................... 90
Faith magic .................................... 98
Fatigue ........................................... 80
Fellowship ..................................... 34
Followers of Spiritual Purity ...26. 116
Fright Stresspoints......................... 14
Fright table ..................................... 14
Lacers ..................................... 60. 116

Legba ............................................. 47
Qger .............................................. 48
Loa ......................................... 46. 116
Loa. mounting of the ...................... 49
Losing Stress points ........................ 12
Lycanthropes................................ 116
Ghede ............................................ 47
Ghouls ........................... 58. 115. 116
Madame Tourina .......................... 118

Magic (definitions) ......................... 93
125
35
38
Harbringer. Christian ..................... 30

Heart Bum ................................... 116
Holy Brigade .................................. 28
Hounfour ....................................... 45
Houn'gadmam'bo ................ 107. 116
Humanity loss ................................ 16
Jojo ..............................................
Fairy tales .........................................
36
Magicians ............................. 105. 116

Mandelbrot Society. the ..........32. 116
Mass murderers .............................. 56
Masters Circle ................................ 36
Meditation ...................................... 12
Moonlocke ................................... 120
Mundane Monks ....................28, 116
Murk, the .............................. .63, 117
Murk (pantheon)....................68, 117
Murk Spirits .......................... .67, 117
Murk Subroutines .......................... 70
Murk Syndrome .................... .65, 117
Nee1 ............................................... 48
Neo-Voodoo ..................... see Voodoo
Net worshippers ............................. 40
Nights Edge .................................... 6.
Nights Edge horror .......................... 8
Nihilists .................................. 30, 117
Obsession ....................................... 17
Occultists ............................. 108. 117
Orders of protectors ....................... 35
Over The Edge table ....................... 11
Pagans ............................................ 40
Paranoia ......................................... 18
Patternists .............................. 32. 117
Peristyle ......................................... 45
Phobia Table .................................. 18
Poltergeist ...................................... 90
Predato Nosferatu ......................... 117
Pseudopsychics.................... 106. 117
Psybemetics ................................... 15
Psychc abilities (new) .................... 88
z
126
Quirks of the mind .........................
19
Rainbow ....................................... 117

Raven. the ...................................... 24
Recruitment ................................... 41
ROPE programs .............................. 75
ROPE slaver ................................... 77
ROPE rider ..................................... 78
Sandmen .......................... 85. 87. 117

Satanic cults ................................... 39
Sceptics .......................................... 92
Schultz ......................................... 115
Scissors ................................. .28. 117
Serial murderers ............................. 55
Sex sects ......................................... 38
Shaman ................................ 109. 117
Shamanicrites .............................. 104
Shepherds ............................. .34. 117
Shift-X .......................................... 119
Skills (new) .............................. 19. 20
Sleep checks................................... 82
Sleep deprivation............................ 81
Sleep borders ............................... 83
Smith. Martin ............................... 123
Solous .......................................... 124
Stalkers .......................................... 54
Stoner .......................................... 116
Straight Stress points ...................... 13
Stress .............................................. 10
Stress factors ............................ 10. 18
Stress levels .................................... 10
Summary.......................................... 7
Sun Knights.................................. 118
Technomancers .................... 106. 118

Telepathy powers (new) .................92
Terrorism ....................................... 61
Therapy ............................. .12. 15.8 6
Trickery ......................................... 90
Unified Theory of Powers ...............91

Unknown (the) ............................... xx
Utopists.......................................... 39
Vampires ............................. .6. 8. 118

Voodoo ............................ 24. 43. 117
Voodoo artifacts ............................. 50
Voodoo definitions ......................... 44
Voodoo rituals ................................ 48
Watch (the) .................................... 35

Werewolves .......................... 6. 8. 118
Wishes ........................................... 99
Witch/warlock ..............104. 108. 118
Zombie ................................... 51, 118

Zombie (AI) ................see AI Zombies
Zombie (dorph) .....see Dorph Zombie

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11

April Montgomery (order #6643740)

April Montgomery (order #6643740)

April Montgomery (order #6643740)